For Your Sake
by Chyscake
Summary: Hanami Kirara pledged loyalty to her master, Isshiki Satoshi, at the early age of four years old. To protect him and those precious to him, she will sacrifice herself if needed. As the peaceful days at Tootsuki Culinary Academy and Polar Star Dormitory get disturbed by turns of event and revealed past, will she be able to keep her promise?
1. Chapter 1

**For Your Sake**

 **A Shokugeki no Souma fanfiction by Chyscake**

 **Shokugeki no Souma and the characters (c) Yuuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki**

 **WARNING : This Isshiki-centric fanfiction contains slight AU (in which Isshiki Satoshi has a personal assistant and some of the settings and names in the fanfiction are not canon due to the fact that some details are not yet revealed in the manga), features an OC, and might contains some misspelling and incorrect grammar usage due to my limitation as non-native English speaker and the absence of proofreader. I can assure you I did my best, but I will apologize beforehand. However, in case this fanfiction managed to delight you or if you have some suggestion or correction, please leave a review. Thank you very much and please enjoy the story.**

*

Once upon a time, a girl sat there under the rain.

Her tiny body shivers as she curls up, trying to keep warm. Her teeth clatters. People walk by under their umbrella, paying no attention at the girl who is most likely only 3 years old. No one saw her, except for him.

He walked out from the gate—the very gate where the little girl sits. He is protected by a big pink umbrella. In fact, the umbrella is so big that the little boy who is probably the same age as her had difficulty handling it. She looks up only to find the boy staring at her. He crouched a bit and grab her arm. "You are wet," he said. "Where are your parents?" the boy added. The girl shook her head. "They left me here," she said. "They told me they are not coming back."

Droplets of rain hit the earth with more force than before. The little boy gather all his power and yank the girl until she stands up. She is shorter and thinner than he is. The boy pulled her under the umbrella and walk with her into the house. "You should take shelter for now. Who is your name?" he asked.

She doesn't answer and the boy considered to ask one more time, but she suddenly spoke. "Hanami Kirara. Just call me Kirara." The boy smiled at her.

"My name is Isshiki Satoshi. Let's be friends!"

*

The birds chirp happily and the sun shines brightly. Today is Saturday. A girl sat up on her bed, trying to gather her consciousness. However, upon the realization that today is not a school day, she plops down back to bed. She could feel herself fading back into the dream world when a very loud and cheerful voice erupted from the brass cone in the room.

"GOOD MORNIIING!!"

The girl screamed and fell off the bed with a loud thud. "Are you awake, Kirara-chan? Today is such a good day! It is the perfect day to go out and take care of the garden!" the voice emerged from the brass cone again. The girl, Hanami Kirara, sat up and rubs the throbbing part of her head which is covered by black strands of hair. Tears pooled on her baby pink eyes. Her consciousness has now seeped back into her mind and she stood up before dashing out from her room. "ISSHIKI SATOSHIIII!!!" she screamed as she ran down the stairs. "GET YOUR BUTT HERE, ISSHIKI SATOSHI!! I WILL PERSONALLY KICK IT FOR YOU!!"

"Ah, while my butt is already here, I will be very thankful if you don't kick it," said the male with the trademark smile on his face. Hanami frowns as she realized that he only wears his fundoshi and a towel draped on his shoulder. "... I should be getting used to this by now, but why..." she mumbled. Isshiki laughed. "That's right, Kirara-chan. You should get used to this by now. Afterall, it has been years!"

Fourteen years to be exact, the girl thought. That's right, ever since Isshiki Satoshi took Hanami Kirara into the household as his personal assistant, they are always together. Of course, at first Hanami was not really Isshiki's personal assistant. She was just Isshiki's homeless playmate and that was just one of Isshiki's trick to get her into his household. But surprisingly, Hanami studied really hard and in the end, she managed to be a proper assistant for Isshiki.

Doesn't change the fact that she is only so-so at cooking, though.

Hanami stares at the male in front of him. "You better wake me up for a good reason," she whispered. As usual, Isshiki doesn't take the girl seriously. Hanami blame this on her voice. Her voice is high pitched, weak, and tiny. Not the kind of voice that emits the feeling of authority. Isshiki took off the towel around his shoulder and wipes Hanami's face with it. And Hanami understands. She just woke up and hasn't washed her face yet. Maybe there was some drool on her face.

But it doesn't mean that Isshiki has the right to wipe her face with a sweat-drenched towel.

"GGGROSSSSS!!" Hanami screamed and pushed Isshiki away. She tries to wipe her face with the sleeve of her t-shirt, but a bit of the sweat already got into her mouth and she screamed more as the salty taste of Isshiki's sweat spread in her mouth. "GROSS GROSS GROSS!!!" Hanami shouted as she ran to the kitchen to wash her face and mouth. Satoshi followed her while laughing. "Don't be like that, Kirara-chan. To sweat early in the morning is good for—"

BBURSTTT.

Isshiki stopped talking as apparently Hanami had sprayed a good mouthful of tap water on his face. A mixture of water and saliva dripped from his chin. "That's what you get for messing with me," said Hanami with a smug grin on her face. Satoshi keeps his smile, but Hanami could see a dragon behind him. "That is no way to treat your boss, Kirara-chan," said Isshiki. His voice is deeper than usual. But it doesn't affect Hanami at all. "Since when are you my boss? Wasn't it you who said something like..." said Hanami before she does a cute pose and looks up at Isshiki with big sparkly eyes. "'Kirara-chan is my friend, not my assistant!'" she said with squeaky voice.

"That's it!!" Isshiki shouted as he tackles towards Hanami. The girl screamed, pushing Isshiki away. She knows what the male is planning. Afterall, she lived with him for fourteen years already. Isshiki keeps trying to tickle Hanami's waist as she keeps twisting and pushing Isshiki away. And Isshiki almost got her when suddenly someone coughed.

"Ahem..."

Both Isshiki and Hanami stopped their fight. On the doorway stood the members of Polar Star Dormitory. Everyone stared at them and turned back.

"Sorry for disturbing you two," said Ibusaki as he and the other members walks out from the kitchen. "THAT'S NOT IT!!" Hanami screamed. Oh God. How many times has she screamed today? It's not even 7 AM yet!

"Thank you for your understanding, Ibusaki-kun!" said Isshiki as he smiles and waves at the fellow dorm members. Hanami's head throbs and she grabbed Isshiki's shoulders. "Huh? What are you—"

Crack.

Isshiki's agonized scream filled the kitchen. "W-will Isshiki-senpai be okay...?" asked Tadokoro. Yoshino shrugged. "Judging from the sound, it seems Isshiki-senpai got his eggs cracked. Again," she said. All the male in the group winced. "Poor senpai..." Marui whispered.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Isshiki Satoshi is curled into a ball on the floor. Hanami sighed and pulls him up. "I am sorry," said the girl. Isshiki laughed—still a bit tearful though. "It's okay, Kirara-chan. I am not mad. Now, what do you want for breakfast?" he asked. The girl smiled. "Do you really have to ask? You know I will eat everything you cooked for me," said Hanami. "Even strawberry flavored dried squid tentacle?" asked Isshiki.

"Ah, if you are talking about Yukihira-kun's experiment... I actually like it."

Isshiki stood there, confused as Hanami went ahead to call other members of the dorm for breakfast. And he smiles. That assistant of him never ceased to amuse.

*

"Satoshi-kun, I recalled telling you that I am going to take bath after breakfast."

"Uh-huh."

"So why did you follow me all the way to the bathroom?!"

"It has been years since we last bathed together, why don't we do it now?" Isshiki asked with his trademark smile. Hanami squints at him. "Satoshi-kun, the last time we took bath together was when you were still in junior high school! And I literally made everyone screamed because you didn't tell me it was a men-only bath!!" the girl shouted desperately.

It is an example of how memory won't fade easily. Isshiki went for a school trip and as an assistant, of course Hanami went along. Truth to be told, Hanami is not a true Tootsuki Culinary Academy's student. Sure, she wears Tootsuki uniform and attends classes, but she never enrolled to any school and she understands why. It was how Isshiki household keep their assistants and maids. The assistants and maids got educated at home, but there is no certificate proofing that they are educated. This means if they betray or leave the household, they will have difficulties making a living outside. No one wants to hire 'uneducated' people, anyway.

Back to the story, they went for a school trip. And out of habit, they went to bath together. Isshiki forgot that it was a men-only bath, Hanami doesn't realize it was a men-only bath, and all the boys inside the bath went frenzy upon the view of Hanami Kirara's naked body. Damn young boys and their hormones. That was so chaotic that both Isshiki and Hanami had to escape without the chance of taking their clothes along. Just imagine two butt naked children running while screaming into the hotel lobby. All the guests in the lobby screamed, Isshiki and Hanami screamed more, and Nakiri Senzaemon had to apologize for the chaos.

"It was a very long time ago, right? And this time no one else is going to make such a chaos. Or could it be..." Isshiki paused for a bit. "... could it be that Kirara-chan cannot contain herself when faced with my naked body?"

What. Wait. What?

Hanami hates to admit it, but Isshiki Satoshi is one damn fine male human specimen. His wavy light brown hair is soft to touch, his skin is fair and flawless despite the fact that he spent his days tilling the soil under the sun, and his eyes—don't let Hanami start talking about Isshiki's eyes—are so... beautiful and mesmerizing, for lack of better word. Completed with nice body, cute smile, and politeness, Hanami understands why girls (and older women) all melted like heated butter in his presence. And to be very honest, even Hanami gets weak in the knees when she saw Isshiki's exposed skin. But there is no way she would admit it. Nope. Nuh-uh. Nada. Step over her dead body first.

She gathered all her courage and said "N-nah, I had fair share of your naked body when we were younger." This caused Isshiki to raise an eyebrow, obviously amused. "It was a long time ago. I have grown since then, you know?" he whispered. "Maybe you want to see my..."

"It's exactly because you have grown up that I don't want to see you naked," said Hanami before Isshiki had the chance to say something indecent. Isshiki nodded. "You got a point. Anyway, you should take a ba—"

Isshiki was interrupted by the ringing of Hanami's cell phone. The girl took her phone out from her pocket. Isshiki peeked at the screen and frowned. On the screen is written 'Isshiki Ayumi'. Hanami stares at Isshiki, giving him the 'should I pick this up' look, and Isshiki sighed and looks away. Hanami took that as an okay and slide her finger across the screen to accept the call. "Good morning, Ayumi-sama," she greeted. "Good morning, Kirara-san. How are you two?" the female on the other side asekd.

"Satoshi-sama is doing very well and so do I," Hanami answered and almost burst into a laughing fit when Isshiki made a disgusted face upon hearing his name with the suffix '-sama'. "Do you want to talk with him, Ayumi-sama?"

"No, thank you. That child never pick up when I called," said the woman. "Oh my, I will tell him to treat his mother nicely then," said Hanami. Isshiki Ayumi laughed. "If only Satoshi is as polite as you, Kirara-san!" she said. "Anyway, the reason I called is... ah, I have to apologize because it is so sudden, but Isshiki household is having a family gathering today at 4 PM and I would like Satoshi to come. I am sorry that this is so sudden, Kirara-san. I thought my stubborn husband already told you two, but turned out he was waiting for me to tell you..."

Hanami blinked. "Ah... I will try my best to convince him, Ayumi-sama. But I cannot promise anything..." said the girl. Isshiki Ayumi sighed and said "it's okay, thank you and sorry for troubling you, Kirara-san. I wish you can talk him into coming. I have to go now, please inform me if you two are coming, okay?" Hanami instinctively nodded and bowed deeply. "Okay, Ayumi-sama. Please take care," said Hanami. "You too," said Isshiki Ayumi before she ended the call. Hanami looks up to find Isshiki Satoshi glaring at her with an almost out of character annoyance. "... what?" asked the girl. "What did my mom say?" Isshiki asked.

"Isshiki household gathering," said Hanami and Isshiki's sour face went even sourer. "I will not go," said the boy. "Geez, come on! Make your mom happy!" said Hanami. "Nope. No way. If I go there, they will either badmouth you or try to marry me off to a distant cousin. You know that I hate both," said Isshiki. 'He is almost as stubborn as his father' is what Hanami thought, but she doesn't say it out loud. One dragon behind Isshiki is enough already, no need to summon another one.

"You know... your mom is a nice person," said Hanami. "When no one in the family support me being your personal assistant, not only she supported me but she also took care of me and made sure I am not getting kicked out from the house," she added and glanced at Isshiki whose expression soften a bit. "Even now, she occasionally sent us pocket money and canned food. If I have a mom and she is that kind, I will make sure I shower her with affection whenever I can."

Hanami glanced at him again. Isshiki's expression is now ridden by guilt, but it was still not enough to make him let go of his stubbornness. Hanami sighed. How would people react if they find out how childish Isshiki Satoshi is? Everyone knew him as a cheerful boy who is also very polite, but he is actually childish, weird, cunning, and he rebels a lot in a unique way. Isshiki only open up to a small number of people, for example Polar Star members. But he only shown his true face to Hanami. As a result, Hanami understand his character inside and out.

The assistant gave up. There is only one thing she could do to make sure he will attend the gathering. She swallowed hard before saying "If you agree to attend it, I will take a bath with you now."

Isshiki's expression wavered a bit. "... if we wash each other's back too, we have a deal," said Isshiki after a long silence. Hanami grins. "Deal," said the girl. Isshiki's face turned bright again and he entered the bathroom in a rush. Hanami sent a text message to Isshiki's mom to confirm their attendance before walking into the bathroom and prays that her heart is strong enough to survive this whole bath session.

*

 **Thank you for reading until the end of the first chapter. If you have any suggestion, question, or correction, please let me know. I will try to finish the next chapter as soon as possible. Please bear with me!**


	2. Chapter 2

Isshiki Satoshi stood outside the dorm. "... I will regret this. I can sense it," he said. Daimidou Fumio laughed. "It is rare to see you with such an annoyed face," said the dorm mother. "Sorry for leaving you with all the works, Fumio-san. We will return tomorrow," said Hanami as she picks up the suitcase and bows. The woman smiled. "I don't mind, afterall it has been a long time since Isshiki last went home," she said. "That said, how would you two go there? By car?" she asked.

"No, we are going by Kirara-chan's motorbike."

Both Hanami and Daimidou turned to stare at Isshiki. "I thought you called a cab or something...?" said Hanami in disbelief. Isshiki smiles and said "If Kirara-chan refused, then we should just cancel this trip."

"... Fumio-san, what time is it?" asked Hanami. The woman glanced at her watch. "11 AM," she said. Hanami sighed. "Satoshi-kun, inform your mom that we might be slightly late. I will go get my motorbike," said the girl in defeat. She put down the suitcase and walks toward the garage. Isshiki sighed. "Not even that causing her to back down..." he whispered under his breath. Fumio smiled. "You should know better than anyone else that she is not the type of person to give up and let go when she already promised," said the dorm mother. "That's true," said Isshiki. "But I hate seeing people treating her badly."

Daimidou could see traces of bitterness in Isshiki's expression and she pats his back. "She is very strong. She will not let that get into her head," she said. Isshiki smiled and said "I hope so."

In three minutes, Hanami already returned with her motorbike, two helmets, and she managed to mount their small suitcase to the motorbike's luggage hanger. Daimidou has to admit, it is weird seeing a girl wearing a knee-length black skirt, thigh-high white socks, shiny black flatshoes, and dark blue blouse riding a motorbike. It is even weirder when the passenger is a taller man who is wearing a dark blue suit with white shirt, black tie, and shiny black shoes. However, both Daimidou and Hanami understand that this is Isshiki's way of rebelling against his parents' order.

"We are leaving, Fumio-san. See you tomorrow!" said Isshiki as he waves at the dorm mother, his expression looks happier than before. Hanami waved too before she ride the motorbike out from the dorm. Daimidou watched until her dorm children disappeared from her sight before walking back to the dorm building.

"I hope everything goes well..."

*

"The Isshiki house is still as big as ever..." said Hanami in awe. The beautiful and grand scenery of the Japanese style house erased all her fatigue after riding motorbike for 5 hours. On the other hand, Isshiki took deep breathes before holding Hanami's hand and walks toward the main hall.

"Welcome, young master," the servants greeted him and bows down. Isshiki smiles and politely greeted back, but Hanami realized that he dislikes this. She poked Isshiki's back to get his attention before saying "Satoshi-kun, I will go put our suitcase in the room."

Isshiki turned at her and glared while still smiling, giving Hanami a 'don't-you-dare-leave-me-alone' look before turning to a servant and say "Please bring the suitcase to our room." Said servant turned pale. "B-but, young master... master already commanded that you will stay in the main house while your assistant will stay in the maids' building..." he said. Isshiki's smile stiffen. "Then inform my father, I will stay at the maids' building," said Isshiki. The servant became even paler, but doesn't dare to refuse Isshiki's command. He took the suitcase from Hanami's hand before rushing to the maids' building. Isshiki walked towards the hall's door when some servants stopped him.

"Uh, young master, we regret to inform you that this event is limited to people with 'Isshiki' as their last name..." said one of the servant. Isshiki still smiles, but the look in his eyes turned cold. Hanami sighed. 'Great, now he snapped,' she groaned in her thought.

Isshiki's gaze pierced the servants' souls and left them cowering in fear as he said "Hanami Kirara will join me in this gathering. No one can tell me otherwise."

Hanami squeezed Isshiki's hand. "Calm down, Satoshi-kun. You are scaring them," said Hanami. She looks at her master's back and saw one of the two dragons disappeared. Hanami spent years watching over Isshiki and she knows that whenever Isshiki got pissed off, a dragon appears behind him. The dragon grew in number as his anger increase, and the most she ever saw was nine dragons so far. She shudders. That was not a nice memory.

Isshiki tighten his grip on Hanami's hand before taking a step forward. The servants scoot away and open the door for him. Isshiki and Hanami walked in, and the big hall suddenly grew silent. Not for long, though. Everyone's eyes are now focused on them and they start whispering something to each other. Hanami saw Isshiki's expression grew stiff again and she squeezed his hand. "It's okay," said the girl. "We will be okay."

"Satoshi."

They turned to find Isshiki Ayumi smiled at them. Both Isshiki and Hanami bow deeply, showing their respect towards the first lady of Isshiki clan. "I apologize for being late, Ayumi-sama," she said. The woman laughed. "It's okay, Kirara-san. Thank you for taking this son of me home even though its just for two days," she said. Isshiki Satoshi's expression soften as his mother patted his arm and smiles gently. Hanami smiled as she saw the last dragon disappearing. "You really have grown up, Satoshi. Mom is so glad," said Isshiki Ayumi. "I am also glad, seeing mom being this healthy," said Isshiki.

"I see you still bring the stray cat around."

Hanami almost screamed in agony as she saw not one, not two, but three dragons sprouting behind Isshiki's back. But she decided to remain silent. Afterall, there is only one man in existence who could make Isshiki Satoshi turn from his cheerful state into his almost demonic state just by standing and breathing near him. And that person is none other than Isshiki Tatsuya, the master of Isshiki clan and father of Isshiki Satoshi.

"... father, I see you are still healthy," said Isshiki with a forced smile on his face. Isshiki Tatsuya glared at Hanami with disgusted face. "You have to be more picky with your staff, Satoshi. I am saying this for your own good," said Isshiki Tatsuya. "This stray cat only wants our fortune."

"Dear, don't say that. If it is not for Kirara-san, Satoshi would not attend this event today." Isshiki Ayumi tried to lighten the mood, but Isshiki Tatsuya rebutted with "If that stray cat doesn't exist since the beginning, then Satoshi doesn't have to leave this clan in the first place." Hanami saw Isshiki Ayumi's apologetic look directed at her. She smiled and nodded a bit, trying to show that she doesn't take it to heart.

"I am bound to get kicked out from the clan sooner or later, father. You never liked my cooking style," said Isshiki. "And don't refer to Kirara-chan as stray cat. She is very important to me," he added. Isshiki Tatsuya ignored his son as he stepped towards Hanami and glared at her. "Hanami Kirara, leave. Now," he said. "Satoshi doesn't need you. He deserves a better assistant."

Hanami looks up after gathering her courage. "I am sorry, sir. My master is Isshiki Satoshi, and I only receive commands from him. I have no reason to follow your command. I apologize," she said before she bows deeply. Isshiki Tatsuya gritted his teeth. "I see," said the clan master. "Suit yourself, then. But Satoshi, don't come crying to me when you lost everything due to that stray cat's failure."

"I won't," said Isshiki. Isshiki Tatsuya walked away and Isshiki Ayumi followed him after she bowed at Hanami and Isshiki. Both Isshiki and Hanami bowed too. Isshiki sighed and forced another smile. "Sorry for his attitude," said Isshiki. Hanami shook her head. "I don't mind. I came here ready to get scolded," said Hanami. "I just want you to see Ayumi-sama once in a while. She really missed you, you know?"

Isshiki smiled more and the dragons disappeared. "I am glad to see her well," he said. Hanami nodded. "Me too," said the girl. "Now, what should we do?" asked Isshiki. Hanami was going to answer, but her stomach already growled before she managed to produce any word. Isshiki laughed and held her hand again. "Okay, finding food is our priority then," said Isshiki. Hanami nodded and they start walking towards the right side of the hall.

"We sure stick out like sore thumb..." said Hanami as she looks around the room. "Everyone wears traditional clothes and here we are, wearing western clothes," she added. Isshiki grinned. "That is on purpose," he said. Hanami laughed. She knew that and she won't say anything. They arrived at the buffet table. "Things sure have changed, back then we would sit together and have food delivered to us," said Hanami as she took a tray. "True, I still remember. You attend the gathering every year and yet you never got your own seat or portion of food," said Isshiki. Hanami laughed. "I didn't mind, though. You would always tell me to share the cushion with you and you would feed me half of your portion," said the girl. Isshiki laughed too. They took the food they wanted and settled on a table near the buffet. Neither of them said anything, but both knew that the reason they choose that table is so they can take more food easily.

"That is a lot of food, did you get hungry after driving?" asked Isshiki, obviously teasing the assistant. Hanami stared at him with deadpanned expression. "You try riding a motorbike for five hours. I bet you will get very hungry by the end of the ride," she grunted before taking a sip of the wakame soup. "Man, the food is as good as ever," said Hanami with blissful expression. "Kinda boring compared to your cooking, but still very good," she added.

Isshiki brings the bowl to his lips and sips the soup. The girl is correct. The saltiness of the soup is in check and all the flavor balanced nicely, but the soup feels a bit plain. Still, the warmth of the soup coils in his stomach and he lets out a satisfied sigh. A smile formed on his face.

"Sa-to-shi-kun!"

Isshiki's blissful expression turned into yet another sour face. They look at the source of voice and found a girl in an elegant kimono running at them. "Who is that?" Hanami asked with a whisper. "No idea," Isshiki whispered back. Judging from her face and body, that girl is most likely older than them. They have to stop the assessment, though, because as soon as the girl reached their table she pulled the sitting Isshiki Satoshi into an embrace. Okay, it was not really an embrace. It was more of the girl squishing her breasts to Isshiki's face. Hanami's face grew sour too.

"Miss, I think you are killing my master," said Hanami as she stood up and grab the girl's shoulder. The girl slapped Hanami's hand away and release her suffocation attempt. Or hug. Hanami couldn't decide. "Satoshi-kun, you really are as handsome as ever!" said the girl with an overly cheerful voice and forced cuteness.

"Uh, sorry, but who are you?" Isshiki asked with an obviously forced polite smile on his face. The girl pouts. "Satoshi-kun is so cruel! It is me, Yurika!" said the girl. Isshiki's expression remains puzzled while the color drained from Hanami's face and she stood up, slipping between Isshiki and the girl. "Isshiki Yurika, I have to ask you to stay away from Satoshi-kun," said Hanami.

Isshiki Yurika stared at Hanami, the look in her eyes shown that she is looking down upon the assistant. "You are not even a family member, stray cat. You are an eyesore," Isshiki Yurika retorted as she snaps her fingers. Some men in black outfit rushed in. "Is something wrong, your highness?" asked one of those men. "Please get rid of this bitch, she doesn't belong here," she commanded. Hanami frowned and she was ready to launch an attack at the girl with dark brown hair, but Isshiki already stood up and hugs her from behind and pats her head.

"I have to ask you to stop that and leave us at peace," said Isshiki. Isshiki Yurika flinched a bit, and Hanami knew without the need to look that Isshiki is flashing her his trademark smile with a topping of dark aura. "Also do not ever touch me without permission. I don't even know you," he added. "Actually, you do know her," said Hanami. "Remember the last time we attend this kind of gathering, Satoshi-kun? When we were still ten years old..." the assistant added. Isshiki thinks for a bit and finally replied with an "I think I remember, why?"

"Isshiki Yurika was that girl who proposed to you with her cooking," said Hanami. She remembers that event as if it happened yesterday. Isshiki and Hanami were talking about cooking in their room when suddenly a girl came in without knocking and started talking about her wish to marry Isshiki Satoshi. Her bodyguards dragged Hanami out from the room while the older girl served out some unaju for Isshiki and told Isshiki to marry her if her cooking is good.

"The one with plain and boring unaju?" asked Isshiki. Hanami stiffled her laugh. "Exactly," said Hanami.

Yes, it took only one minute until Isshiki Yurika stomped out of the room, crying and telling her bodyguards to drop Hanami and follow her. Hanami rushed into the room and asked Isshiki what happened, to which he answered "I bet Kirara-chan can cook better than her."

Isshiki Yurika trembles with anger. "I... I challenge you!" she shouted while pointing her finger at Hanami. Her voice took everyone's attention. "How dare you monopolize Satoshi-kun! We will have a cooking battle and the winner shall have Satoshi-kun!" she added.

Hanami blinked. "Um. Sorry. First of all, Satoshi-kun is not a trophy. Second, Satoshi-kun is not mine. It is me who belongs to Satoshi-kun as an assistant. Get your facts checked before you talk. Third, I have no obligation to accept the challenge," said Hanami. Isshiki patted her head again. "Kirara-chan is really cool," said Isshiki. "It was you who taught me," the girl responded. At this moment, Isshiki Yurika is already boiling with anger. She raised her hand to slap the assistant.

"You are not going to touch her."

Hanami frowned. Judging from the tone of his voice, Isshiki Satoshi is starting to lose his cool. She stares at Isshiki Yurika who now froze in fear and said "I kindly ask you to leave us alone. You don't want to enrage my master."

Isshiki Yurika clicked her tongue, but she turned around to leave along with her bodyguards. Isshiki rested his chin on Hanami's head. "There goes my chance to scare everyone into not inviting me again," said Isshiki. Hanami smiled as she untangled herself from Isshiki's hug. "Be glad I stopped you. Just imagine how would everyone in Polar Star react if they heard that their beloved senpai got arrested for hitting a defenseless girl..." said the girl, to which Isshiki responded with a laugh. "With those buff bodyguards, can you really call her 'defenseless'?" Isshiki asked. "Not really," said Hanami before sitting down.

Isshiki followed suit. "While we are here, what do you want to do?" the male asked before digging into his food. Hanami thinks for a bit while chewing her food. There are a lot of options, visiting museums is one of it. However it is already late and Hanami is quite sure that Isshiki feels a bit tired from the travel.

"Sleeping, maybe. Or cook something first..." she said. Isshiki shook his head. "You are not allowed to cook in this house. I hate to follow the rules, but I don't want you to get kicked out without me," said Isshiki. "So in return I will cook for you. What do you want to eat?" he added.

Hanami grinned. "Do you still have to ask?" asked the girl. Isshiki laughed upon hearing the question.

"Of course not," said the male. "I already had an idea in mind."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note : Before we continue with the story, allow me to say thank you for the review and favorite. It really meant a lot for me. I know this fic is not perfect, I always find new mistake everytime I re-read it. But I hope this fic can entertain you all. Thank you!**

 **Also, the dialogues in _italic_ means it is spoken in another language which will be specified. Thank you for your attention.**

*

Hanami Kirara sighed as she lies down on the futon. The tiredness finally seeped back into her body. Then again, today was a very long day. The gathering ended at 7 PM, and both Isshiki and Hanami went to the maids' building directly to rest.

Or at least that was what they planned.

Who would have predicted that Isshiki Tatsuya would personally come over to scold them and drag Isshiki back to main house? Not Isshiki and Hanami. Both of them ended up spending one whole hour just to argue with the head of Isshiki clan until the elder gave up and left them alone with their fatigue in the maids' building.

"What time is it?" Isshiki asked. Hanami glanced at her phone screen. "8:27 PM... why?" asked the girl. Isshiki doesn't answer, but pulled out his favorite apron from their suitcase. "Don't tell me that you're going to raid the kitchen and cook something," said Hanami. Isshiki grins, and Hanami reached out to grab his ankle. She knew that grin means the male will go raid the kitchen and cook something amazing for them no matter how tired he is. Isshiki crouched down and pats Hanami's head. "Let me go, Kirara-chan. I promise I will come back with good food," said Isshiki.

"Nooo..." said Hanami. "Let's just take bath and go to sleep," she added. Isshiki smiled. "Okay, okay," he said as he took off his apron. "Let's take bath and then we can sleep. Want to go in together or one by one?" asked Isshiki. "Up to you," said the assistant. She is so tired that not even the notion of taking bath with her master twice in the same day scare her anymore. Isshiki thought for a bit and said "I think it will be faster if we take bath together."

"Suit yourself..." Hanami said. She was going to get up but Isshiki already picked her up and carry her on his back. She was shocked but too tired to struggle. "Put me down..." she said. But Isshiki doesn't pay her any attention. He finally put her down when they reached the bathroom. "Do you have enough energy to wash yourself, or do you need me to help?" Isshiki asked. "Nah, I can do it on my own," said Hanami. Isshiki laughed. "Kirara-chan is so cold..." said the male, pretending to look dejected. Hanami looked at him and said "If you want a fiery reaction, ask that to Yurika-san instead."

"No thanks, the only one I want is Kirara-chan," said Isshiki while taking off his clothes. "You are bound to make someone misunderstand that, Satoshi-kun," Hanami replied. "I know you are not interested in that kind of stuff," she added. What she said caused Isshiki to smile. "And I know you are not interested either," said Isshiki.

"You know me really well," said Hanami as she took off her clothes and stepped into the bath. Isshiki followed her.

"So do you."

*

"You always wear that bracelet?"

Hanami was drying her hair when Isshiki asked that question. "Yes, except when I am in gym class," the girl aswered. "Is something wrong with it?" she asked. Isshiki shook his head. "Nothing. Do you like it?" asked the male. Hanami stopped drying her hair and looks at Isshiki who is struggling to wear his T-shirt, which is a rare sight lately. Isshiki always wear T-shirt and shorts when he sleeps at Isshiki house, because every morning a maid will come in to wake him up. Hanami secretly thanked God for the fact that Isshiki still got some shreds of decency despite his whole naked apron and fundoshi ordeal.

"Of course I like it," said Hanami. Isshiki nodded upon hearing the answer. Hanami hung the towel on the stand and combed her hair before sitting on the futon. She looks into Isshiki's eyes before saying "You're being weird, Satoshi-kun."

"Am I?" Isshiki asked with a smile on his face. Hanami nodded before moving from the futon to Isshiki's lap. Isshiki doesn't mind and let her sit there. The girl rested her back against his chest, feeling his movement as he breathes. "It's unlike you to be so curious about this kind of thing," said Hanami. Isshiki wrapped his arm around her body. "It is only natural, right?" he said. "Afterall it was from me."

Hanami laughed and raised her hand so she can see the bracelet. She wore the bracelet for seven years already, but it still looks like new. The stainless steel wire base remains strong, and the beads still shiny. It consists of twelve round cyan beads and seven multifaceted crystal beads, where one crystal bead is placed every two cyan beads. "Let's see... I really like this bracelet. It is pretty, the beads are the color of your eyes, and it is the first gift from you. Of course it is natural that I treasure it," said Hanami. Isshiki nodded and tightened his hug. "I swear, Satoshi-kun. If someone sees us right now, they will get the wrong idea," said Hanami. Isshiki laughed. "I don't mind. Maybe it will make those girls stop," he said.

Isshiki doesn't say that without a reason. Since his early age, the heir of Isshiki family is surrounded by girls. As he grew up, those girls start fighting each other to get his heart. But he knew that they don't really love him. They only want him to secure their place as the heir's wife and to have a cute boyfriend to show around. Isshiki hates that. He is nice enough to treat those girls politely, but he is also traumatized enough by those girls' drastic measures in their attempt to court him. And that is the exact reason why Hanami doesn't mind getting hugged by her master and even tolerates taking bath together, at least until they entered junior high.

Isshiki Satoshi is not interested in female.

That doesn't mean he is interested in male, though. It's just that he is not interested in romantic or sexual relationship with anyone. However, almost no one knows this fact and that is one of the reason why some people want to banish Hanami. They don't want the heir of Isshiki clan to marry his assistant. Hanami is annoyed when she found out, but she doesn't say anything in rebuttal because Isshiki hasn't told anyone in the clan.

"Maybe," said Hanami. "Or maybe it will give them a reason to permanently ban me," she added. Isshiki laughed. "They will have to ban me too then," said Isshiki. Hanami laughed too. "We can both be banned from Isshiki clan. And then we can help Fumio-san taking care of Polar Star after you graduate," said the girl. She knew Isshiki already got attached to the dorm and the people inside the dorm ever since they got accepted to stay there. Hanami would never forget how happy Isshiki was when he finally have more dormmates.

"That is a great idea," said Isshiki before he yawns. "I think we should call it a day," said Hanami. Isshiki nodded and let her stands up to turn off the light. They lie down on the futon, shuffling around a bit in attempt to get comfortable. "Good night, Satoshi-kun," said Hanami, to which Isshiki replied with "Good night, Kirara-chan. Promise me you will be here tomorrow when I wake up."

Hanami tries to look at Isshiki's expression, but it was too dark to see clearly. So she just moved a bit to kiss the tip of Isshiki's nose. "I promise," said the girl. "And you know I won't break my promise," she added.

A smile found its way to Isshiki's lips. "I know," Isshiki whispered before he falls asleep.

*

As predicted, a maid woke them up this morning. Both Isshiki and Hanami took bath, had breakfast, and finally left the Isshiki house after they thanked Isshiki's mom for the hospitality. Now they are on the way back to their beloved Polar Star dorm. This time they don't look too weird on the motorbike. Hanami wears shorts and T-shirt, while Isshiki wears jeans and long sleeved T-shirt. Even Hanami rarely see Isshiki in this kind of clothes, but she admits that it suits him well. He even got catcalled by some girls (and older women) when they stopped at the traffic light.

"Satoshi-kun," Hanami called the passenger with a louder voice compared to her usual voice. Isshiki leaned towards her so he can hear what Hanami got to say. "Do you mind if we stop somewhere on the way back?" asked the girl. "I don't mind," said Isshiki. "Where do you want to go, though?" he asked. Hanami grinned. "To that one store!" said the girl.

And as she said that, she turned her motorbike into the parking lot of a shop. After she parked the motorbike properly, Hanami walked into the shop. Isshiki followed behind her. He remembers Hanami once said that she is a regular at a shop near Tootsuki academy, but he never stepped into the shop. Isshiki closed the door behind him and looks around the shop. There are a lot of spices and stuffs in sacks on the corner of the room, jars of dried stuffs on the shelves, and bottles of strange liquid on a table. Meanwhile, Hanami already reached the counter and rung the bell.

" _Excuse me!_ " said Hanami in a foreign language. Isshiki knew her long enough to know that she is speaking in Indonesian. " _Excuse me, is anyone here?_ " Hanami asked.

" _Wait a bit!_ " a male voice responded and soon enough a dark skinned male walked out from another door. When he realized it was Hanami calling him, he grinned. " _Kir_ _ara! It has been a long time!_ " he said as he shook Hanami's hand. " _Indeed, Bayu,_ " said Hanami. She turned to Isshiki. "Satoshi-kun, this is Bayu. Bayu is the son of the shop owner. _Bayu, this is Isshiki Satoshi. He is my childhood friend,_ " Hanami introduced them to each other in different language. Both Isshiki and Bayu bow and smile at each other. Bayu proceeds to look at Hanami with a teasing smile on his face and asked " _Your boyfriend?_ "

" _Nah, just_ _a_ _friend,_ " said Hanami. Bayu nodded while he stared at Isshiki who looks confused. " _By the way, d_ _o you need something?_ " Bayu asked. Hanami grinned and handed over a shopping list. The male reads the list and said " _Wait here, I will get everything._ " Hanami smiled. " _Thanks, Bayu!_ " she said. Isshiki and Hanami watched as Bayu scooped, weighted, and packed some ingredients. After everything is packed, he packed everything in a bigger plastic bag. " _There you go,_ " said Bayu. " _How much?_ " asked the girl as she pulled out her wallet. Bayu tapped his fingers on the calculator, counting the total price before showing the calculator display to Hanami. The girl paid him and said " _Thank you very much! Take care and send my regards to your dad!_ " to which Bayu replied with " _I will. See you, Kirara._ Thank you for coming too, Isshiki-san. I hope to see you again!"

Isshiki smiled and bows. "I hope to see you again too, Bayu-kun. I am sorry beforehand if this girl caused some problems for you," said Isshiki as he patted Hanami's head. Bayu laughed. "On the contrary! She is one of our prized customer!" he said. Hanami pouted. "Well, we have to leave before Satoshi-kun starts badmouthing me. See you!" said Hanami before she drags Isshiki out from the shop. Bayu laughed and waved at them.

"What did you bought?" Isshiki asked when they got outside. "Ehh, just some condiments and spices and dried food..." said Hanami. She mounted the bag to the motorbike before they continue their journey.

Isshiki just realized that the shop really is close to Tootsuki. They managed to reach Polar Star in 20 minutes ride from the shop. After parking the motorbike, both Isshiki and Hanami got into the dorm. "We are home!" said Isshiki. For a moment it was silent, until they heard several footsteps coming from the kitchen.

"Isshiki-senpai!" Yoshino Yuuki shouted as she hugged Isshiki. Sakaki Ryouko sighed in relief upon seeing Isshiki and Hanami while Yoshino already cried while still hugging Isshiki. "Is something wrong?" Hanami asked. "Nothing, Hanami-senpai... it's just that when we returned to dorm, Fumio-san said you two returned to Isshiki-senpai's house..." said Sakaki. "Eh? Then what is the problem?" Hanami asked.

"She thought it means you two are leaving us."

Ibusaki Shun walked towards them. Yoshino looks up, her eyes are teary. "Don't argue with me, Ibusaki-kun! I was just worried!" said Yoshino. She struggled to stop her crying, but then Ibusaki patted her head. "You really care about everyone," said the male. Yoshino froze a bit before she starts crying again. "O-of course!" she said. "Everyone in Polar Star dorm is important to me..."

It was silent for a bit, but then Hanami and Sakaki and Tadokoro who has been standing there since God know when also burst into tears. They hugged Yoshiko who is still hugging Isshiki and wailed some things like 'Don't cry Yuuki', 'I love everyone in the dorm too', and 'You all are precious to me', causing Shouji Satou and Aoki Daigo to cry too and join the group hug. Marui Zenji stood by Ibusaki's side. "Seriously, what are they doing..." said Ibusaki. Marui wiped his teary eyes, put on his glasses, and looked at Ibusaki.

"But you're crying too."

"... I'm not," said Ibusaki before he looks away to hide his tears from Marui's sight. Yukihira Souma who just arrived at the dorm lobby blinks in confusion. "What happened? Did Yoshino's duck passed away or something?" he asked. Everyone went silent for a bit before bursting into laughter. Yukihira got even more confused. "This is why I love this dorm so much," said Isshiki as he wipes his tears. "So much happiness! So much love! So much youth spirit!" he said, totally getting fired up.

"Does this means we will hold a party tonight?" Hanami joked. But much to her surprise, everyone agreed. Even Marui agreed. In the ruckus, she heard Yukihira saying that he will invite Aldini brothers and Mito Ikumi. She smiles and looks at Isshiki who is also staring at her. And they don't say anything, because no word is needed.

All they need to know is that everyone they love are happy.

*

Hanami puts down her plastic bag on the kitchen counter. Everyone continued their activity after that tearful event, and Hanami decided that she will spend her time in the kitchen to cook the ingredients she bought from Bayu.

"Let's see... first I will make the soup base," she mumbles to herself. She prepared and cleaned the ingredients before taking out the blender and throws in some shallots, garlic, candlenut, dried shrimp paste, turmeric, galangal, ginger, coriander, cumin, salt, and a strange black stuff.

"What are you making, Hanami-senpai?"

Hanami jolted. She turned to find Yukihira Souma standing next to her. "Geez, you scare me Yukihira-kun," she complained. "I am making some soup base..." Hanami explained. Yukihira nodded. "I see... what is that black thing, though?" he asked. "I don't really know the Japanese name, but the Indonesian name is kluwak," Hanami answered before turning on the blender. After the ingredients are blended, she put a frying pan on the stove and let it heat up. She then pours the blended spices to the pan and adds smashed lemongrass and greater galangal. Hanami also threw in some bay leaves and keffir lime leaves in before she starts stir frying the mixture. Soon the kitchen is filled with the scent of spices.

"Whoa, it smells good!" said Yukihira. "I know, right?" Hanami said, still stirring the content of the pan. After a while, she turned off the stove and let the mixture cools. "Yukihira-kun, do you mind helping me wash the blender?" asked the girl. "Leave it to me, senpai!" said Yukihira. Hanami thanked him and took out a stone mortar and pestle.

"What are you making this time, senpai?" Yukihira already finished washing the blender and is now staring at Hanami's ingredients. "It is some special sakura shrimp sprinkles," said Hanami as she put heaps of dried sakura shrimp and some chili peppers, shallots, and garlics. She proceeds to mash everything with pestle until the shallot, chili pepper, and garlic turned into paste and the dried shrimp crushed into tiny pieces. She took another frying pan and stir fry the crushed mixture. Yukihira caught a whiff of spicy scent from the condiment and he could feel himself salivating. "What do you use this sprinkle on, senpai?" asked Yukihira.

"Hm... it is almost all purpose. My favorite is to sprinkle it on piping hot rice, stir it until mixed, and eat it. But if you eat that with some dashi or tea poured in, it also tastes very good. You can also put some of the sprinkles on sliced cucumber, mix the sprinkles with seafood fried rice... the possibilities are endless," said Hanami. "I still regret not using this for the dorm entrance test..." she sighed. Yukihira looks confused. "I thought Hanami-senpai didn't need to take entrance test because you are not an official student..." he said.

"Nah, Fumio-san insisted on me taking the test too. Of course Satoshi-kun passed easily, but I really got panicked back then," said Hanami as she turned off the stove. She took two plastic boxes and put the sprinkles in one box and the soup base in another box. "I see..." said Yukihira. "What did senpai cooked back then?" he asked. Hanami opened the freezer and puts in the soup base box. "Hm... I will make it for tonight's party, if you want. I have everything prepared..." said Hanami. "Really, senpai?!" Yukihira asked, his face beaming with interest. Hanami nodded. "Now that I think about it, I rarely see Hanami-senpai cooking..." said Yukihira.

"Really?" Hanami asked as she closed the freezer door. "Really. Most of the time it was Isshiki-senpai who cooks," said Yukihira. Hanami smiled. "It means I have to cook more often. I am only so-so, though," she said. "By the way, Yukihira-kun, do you want to try the sprinkles?" Hanami asked. "If it doesn't trouble you!" said Yukihira. Hanami smiled. "Sit there, I will whip something for you," said the girl. Yukihira sat on the stool and watched as Hanami scooped some rice into the bowl and poured a heap of sprinkles on it. She gave the bowl to him and handed over a pair of chopstick. "Try this first, I will make some tea to accompany it," said Hanami as she boiled a pot of water and steeped the tea.

Yukihira stared at the bowl. In a way it looks like furikake. He stirred the bowl content and took a bite.

"Huh?!"

Yukihira was so surprised. He saw it with his own eyes that it consisted of only dried sakura shrimp, chili pepper, shallot, and garlic. Yet the flavor is almost shocking. It was savory and spicy and the sakura shrimp pieces gave it a nice texture, causing him to sighs in bliss. "The tea is done," said Hanami. Yukihira held out the bowl and Hanami poured the tea into his bowl. He stirred and sipped it. The flavor profile turned softer, with toastiness and slight bitterness in the tea complimenting the subtle saltiness. "This tea... it is not the usual tea, right?" he asked.

"I use genmaicha most of the time because I feel that the toasty taste departs a warm feeling into the dish," said Hanami. Yukihira finished his bowl. "Geez, Hanami-senpai. You said you are only so-so at cooking, but this is really good!" said the male. Hanami laughed. "I am glad you like it. But really, I am no good in most classes..." she said.

"It is because of Kirara-chan's cooking style."

Both Yukihira and Hanami turned to the kitchen door to find Isshiki standing there. "Isshiki-senpai, what kind of cooking style is Hanami-senpai's cooking?" Yukihira asked. Isshiki thought for a bit. "If I have to describe it with one word, then I'll say that her cooking is very forgiving," said Isshiki. "You know that some cooking has an exact cooking time in the recipe that has to be followed, right?" Isshiki explained to Yukihira. Yukihira nodded.

"Kirara-chan's cooking is a very forgiving cooking, because most of the time overcooking doesn't make it bad. Sometimes even undercooking is also good," said Isshiki. "However, this made her weak when she has to follow a recipe which require exact timing," he added. "I see... I still cannot really imagine it, though," said Yukihira.

"I will show what he means at the party, then," said Hanami. "Eh? I thought senpai will make that dish you made for the dorm entrance test?" Yukihira asked. Isshiki smiled upon hearing that.

"That is one of her most forgiving dish..." said Isshiki. "Really?! What is the dish, senpai?" asked the younger boy. Hanami smiled. "That will be a surprise. Now get out, you two! I have to start preparing it!" said Hanami, pushing both Isshiki and Yukihira out from the kitchen.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note : I don't know what to say aside from the fact that I really am thankful. To be honest, I started this story expecting no one will read this because it has original character. So please let me bless you all.**

 **Also to answer Aoi Usa's question: this story currently take place after Training Camp but before Autumn Election. Hope this helps!**

*

Everyone stared with anticipation as Hanami entered Marui's room with three plates on a tray. "... what is wrong, everyone?" Hanami asked all the Polar Star dorm members. In the end, Aldini brothers didn't attend because, as Isami said, Takumi got fever from staying up late for days and he has to take care of his brother. Or as Takumi said, he was just on fire and he has to train to surpass Yukihira. Mito Ikumi also couldn't attend because she has to attend a family event.

"N-no, it's just... it is a rare occurence that Hanami-senpai decided to cook..." said Tadokoro. Hanami kneeled down and put the dishes on the floor. "Really, is it that weird?" she asked. Everyone except for Isshiki rushed towards the plates to take a good look at the food. On the plates are square pieces of grilled pork. The rind looks very crispy, and the meat is layered with glistening fat. "This... this is siu yuk, right?" said Yoshino. Siu yuk is a Cantonese pork dish which is roasted until the skin is crispy

"100 points for Yoshino-chan," said Hanami. "Before you all start eating, I need one person to try one piece from every plate in random order... maybe Tadokoro-chan?" Hanami called. Tadokoro moved to the front of the dishes and took a piece from the second plate. She chewed the meat and went silent.

"S-so good..." said Tadokoro after a long silence. "The rind is very crispy, and the meat is soft and juicy... the seasonings used does not overpower the pork taste..." she added before taking a piece from the first plate. "This one has the same taste, the rind is crispy too... but this one has a sticky and more fatty feels to it... this will be perfect with some warm soup," said Tadokoro. She took a piece from the third plate. "Ah! This one is quite different from the first plate! This has extra crunchy rind with slight smoky flavor... very good too..." said the girl.

"Truth is, all three plates are prepared the same way," said Hanami. "The difference is only the time needed to blister the skin," she added. "The first plate is undercooked, the second plate is within the perfect range, and the third plate is overcooked. Am I right, Kirara-chan?" said Isshiki. Hanami smiled proudly. "As expected from Satoshi-kun," said the girl. Everyone took a piece from every plate and soon the plates are empty.

"I see... this is why Isshiki-senpai said that Hanami-senpai's cooking is very forgiving. It is great even though it was only seasoned with lime, salt, pepper, and some other spices..." said Yukihira. "Yeah... and even when you undercook or overcook it, it still tastes good. Or should I say, everything is equally good in different ways!" said Aoki. "I bet you cannot do this kind of cooking," said Satou. Aoki threw a death glare at Satou.

"Oh God, they are going to fight again," said Sakaki. Marui started praying for his room's safety, while Yukihira was being blunt as usual and ended up saying "Today is really hot, isn't it?" as if he doesn't realize Aoki and Satou's fight.

"Well, summer is coming afterall. It will be nice if we can have something cold tonight..." said Yoshino, causing Hanami to stood up. "That's right! Something cold! Geez, I was so engrossed in cooking the siu yuk that I forgot I have that freezing in the freezer!!" the assistant ranted as she walked out from Marui's room. "What did she had freezing in the freezer, Isshiki-senpai?" Yukihira asked. Isshiki thought for bit. "Well, it might be popsicle or ice cream... or..." he trailed off. "We should just wait and see. Not even I have the slightest idea of what she had," he added.

It took Hanami some minutes before she returned with a tray of 10 beer mugs filled with purple liquid that looks half frozen. "Is that smoothie?" Marui asked. "Just try it," said Hanami as she gave everyone one mug and a straw. Sakaki was the first one to take a sip. "It's not a smoothie!" she shouted. Isshiki smiled before taking a sip too. "Frozen daiquiri. Right, Kirara-chan?" he asked. "More or less. I called it frozen grape daiquiri, law-obeying style," said Hanami. "Law-obeying style?" Tadokoro asked.

"Daiquiri refers to a family of cocktails, and the ingredients usually consist of rum, citrus juice, and sugar," said Marui. "However, none of us are of legal drinking age." the male with glasses added. Hanami smiled. "That is why I call it law-obeying style, Marui-kun. I used synthetic rum extract instead of real rum. The flavor and aroma is less complex compared to real rum or natural rum extract, but I can assure you all that no police is going to force their way in and put us in jail for drinking this," said Hanami. "That actually make sense," said Ibusaki.

"So considerate... Kirara-chan will definitely be a good wife!" said Isshiki, earning a frown from Hanami. "Like that would happen. I am not interested in that kind of thing..." she mumbled. Yoshino sat next to Hanami. "But Hanami-senpai, heart-throbbing moments are the best! Is there no man in the dorm that makes you feel interested? Or among the first year? Or second year? Or perhaps the third year!" Yoshino asked with such eagerness. Hanami pondered a bit and finally said "Except for how Ibusaki-kun managed to see through his bangs, no man really made me interested."

Yoshino pouts. "Geez. Hanami-senpai is no fun," she said. "But you know... considering how close Hanami-senpai and Isshiki-senpai are, I seriously thought their relationship is more than just best friends," said Sakaki, earning a sigh from Hanami. "After knowing this man for years, I just cannot bear to think of him as romantic interest. Mainly because we already know each other's embarrassing side..."

"For example, Kirara-chan's collection of lingeries she never wear?" Isshiki asked with his trademark smile. Hanami facepalmed. "That. And I know every single detail of Satoshi-kun's wet dream because he sleep talk whenever he had perverted dreams," said the girl. Isshiki's smile grew wider as he said "And how Kirara-chan likes to--"

"ENOUGH!! That is way too much information!!"

Everyone was so shocked upon hearing the usually calm Ibusaki screamed. His face is totally red and everyone swore his ears are actually radiating heat. "... for Ibusaki-kun's sake, I think we need to stop this conversation..." said Hanami. Isshiki nodded. "W-what about Isshiki-senpai though?" Tadokoro asked. "That's right! Is there no girl that made Isshiki-senpai's heart beats faster?" Yoshino asked. Isshiki shook his head, causing Hanami to smirk. "I recalled your heart beating faster when those girls chased you, though," she said. Isshiki laughed, this time a bit dry. "Kirara-chan, please. Those girls tried to chop me into pieces so they can divide me equally, how could I stay calm?" he said. "In the end I managed to chase them off, there was nothing to fear." said Hanami.

"You are the one I fear the most, though. I mean, you suddenly jumped between us with a naginata and tried to skewer those girls with it..." said Isshiki. Hanami laughed. "Well, I'll take it as an affirmation that you prefer to get mauled by those girls instead. Noted, Satoshi-sama," said Hanami. Everyone laughed while Isshiki begged Hanami not to send him to those girls.

Flash.

It was just a small flash from outside, but Hanami felt her heart sink into her stomach. She looked around to make sure no one realized, before standing up and walks out from the room. "Hanami-senpai, where are you going?" Yukihira asked. Hanami had an internal screaming moment. Why does Yukihira become sharp at the most untimely moment? Hanami put on a smile and said "Toilet," before dashing out. She opened the dorm door and walked until she reached a certain tree that offers a great view of Marui's room.

"If you really want to join, you should first knock the door and ask for permission," said Hanami. A girl jumped down from the tree and smirked at Hanami. Her green eyes glinted in the dark. "I guess I attracted a pest, eh?" said the green eyed girl. Hanami smiled. "If anything, you are the pest. I have seen you on several occasions, but this is the first time I meet you at dorm area," said the assistant. "Care to introduce yourself and explain why you're here?" Hanami added.

"Fuyuhisa Misaki. 1st year of high school," said the girl. "I am the leader of the fans club dedicated for Isshiki-sama."

Hanami was dumbfounded. "Isshiki... sama...?" she asked. In her mind flashed an image of Isshiki in prince attire, surrounded by girls in skimpy outifts trying to seduce him. "Please repeat it again. I am pretty sure I heard the wrong thing..." said Hanami. Fuyuhisa stared at Hanami. "You got it right. We devote ourself to Isshiki-sama," said the girl. "Geez, you all really had no idea about Satoshi-kun's preferences..." Hanami sighed when all of the sudden Fuyuhisa took out a kitchen knife.

"We, the Isshiki Fans Club, decided we have had enough of your insolence," said Fuyuhisa. "You are but a mere assistant, yet you refers to Isshiki-sama with his first name and without using the suffix -sama," the girl added. Hanami stared at Fuyuhisa, her pink eyes filled with annoyance. "I told you already, you have no idea about Satoshi-kun's preference. And so what if you all had enough of me being close to Satoshi-kun? It's not like you can do anything about it," said Hanami. The corner of Fuyuhisa's eye twitched, and she dashed towards Hanami with kitchen knife aimed at the pink eyed girl.

Slap!

Fuyuhisa's eyes widened when she saw Hanami slapped her hand, releasing the knife into the air. And as if she saw everything on slow motion, Hanami hit the knife right on the handle. The knife flies in a curve before hitting the wall directly under Marui's window and falls to the ground. Hanami laughed. "You know, I hate doing this kind of thing because it made me look dangerous... but you really should have done your research," said Hanami. Fuyuhisa froze in fear. Everyone looked at those two girls from Marui's window, and Isshiki sighed. "She really made Kirara-chan angry..." said Isshiki as he looks at Hanami.

On his assitant's back, he could see three chinese phoenix.

"Fuyuhisa-san, you said I am just a mere assistant, right?" Hanami asked with a smile on her face. "I suggest you to do your research. My official job Satoshi-kun's personal assistant. In Isshiki clan's sense, it means I am not only trained to be an assistant... I am also trained to be his personal bodyguard," the girl added. Fuyuhisa growled at Hanami. "You... just look! We will make you regret this!!" she shouted at Hanami who still smiled. "I cannot wait. Now, I'll suggest you to leave while you can. I don't always give mercy to someone who tried to stab me, you know?" said Hanami.

She watched Fuyuhisa until the 1st year disappeared in the darkness. When she walked into the dorm, everyone already waited for her at the lobby. Daimidou sighed. "Good grief. I was worried that there will be a corpse in Polar Star area," said the dorm mother. "That's funny, Fumio-san. I am not that weak," said Hanami.

"That girl... I feel like I have seen her before," said Tadokoro. "Isn't that Fuyuhisa-san? What is she doing around here?" Sakaki asked. "That girl was spying on someone in the dorm. Can any of you explain to me what kind of girl she is?" Hanami asked, causing Yoshino to frown. "I shared some classes with her, and I think she has this annoying vibes around her," said Yoshino.

Hanami nodded. "I see..." she mumbled. "Oh well, it doesn't really matter. Let's go back to Marui-kun's room and continue where we left off!" Hanami added before dasing towards Marui's room. Everyone followed immediately, except for Daimidou and Isshiki.

"That assistant of yours..." Daimidou sighed. Isshiki laughed. "This is not even the angriest of her," said Isshiki. "I know that. It's just... you two really are each other's guardian, huh?" Daimidou said while patting Isshiki's back. "Now go back and have fun with your friends. Don't let them realize you're gone," the dorm mother added. Isshiki nodded and walked to Marui's room. Daimidou returned to the kitchen and sat near the window. She sipped her sake.

"The dragon and the chinese phoenix, huh..."

*

"Kirara-chan, are you okay?"

Hanami blinked. Isshiki Satoshi stood in front of her. They are attending PE class and Hanami is forever conflicted over the fact that she shared all classes with Isshiki. Most of the time, she is glad. Isshiki is very smart and reliable in both cooking and non-cooking classes. He always excels in everything, including PE class. Yet Hanami hated PE class with her whole being, and the presence in front of her is the exact reason why.

Isshiki Satoshi is well known among Polar Dorm members for his naked apron, fundoshi, and occasional speedo. And yet, if you as Hanami Kirara's opinion, that is not his sexiest attire. Most revealing, yes. But sexiest...

Isshiki blinked. He is wearing his PE uniform, consisting of T-shirt, shorts, socks, and running shoes. Sweat dripped down his chin and from the tip of his brown hair. His cheeks rosy and his breath ragged from running too much. Isshiki wiped the sweat off his face with his t-shirt, accidentally showing off his body. And his legs... God, his legs... even Hanami who is not that interested in male ended up drooling at the sight of Isshiki's exposed legs. Hanami is not interested in the naked apron or fundoshi because it shows too much skin, but PE uniform shows just enough to make everything interesting.

"Kirara-chan?" Isshiki waved his hand in front of Hanami's face. "Kirara-chan, you're drooling."

Hanami jolted and wiped her drool. She really really doesn't want to admit, but Isshiki is one damn fine male. "Are you okay, Kirara-chan?" Isshiki asked for the second time. "Ah. Yeah, I am okay," said Hanami. Truth is, Hanami is not okay. She is not good with sun and heat. Today's PE class is held outdoor, and the good hours she spent under the sun resulted in a nosebleed. "You look like you have trouble focusing... hang in there, this is the last class today!" said Isshiki. 'It was your fault that I cannot really focus, though,' Hanami thought.

The teacher blew the whistle, indicating the end of PE class. "Are you sure you can do this today? Do you need help?" Isshiki asked. Hanami shook her head. "Nah, I will be fine. You should go ahead and change with the others," said Hanami. Isshiki left to change with the other students while Hanami went ahead to help the teacher carry the soccer balls and safety cones back to storehouse. When she finally able to went to change clothes, the changing room is already empty. She walked to her locker and opened it. Hanami swore her heart stopped beating for a moment when she realized that her bracelet is nowhere to be found.

"Are you looking for this?"

Hanami turned at the source of voice only to find some girls blocking the door. They are not the focus of Hanami's view, though. It was Fuyuhisa Misaki and the bracelet she's twirling around that made her blood boils with anger. "Fuyuhisa Misaki," Hanami called but her voice trembles. She doesn't remember the last time she feels this angry. "If you are wise, you will return that bracelet to me now."

"Eeeh, I don't wanna!" said Fuyuhisa. "This is from Isshiki-sama, right? You don't deserve to have this!" Fuyuhisa said, her green eyes glinted. "That's right, leader! A trash like her should just die!" said another girl. Hanami looked at them and she realized that all of them are 1st year students. "So this is a scene of kouhai bullying their senpai, eh..." said Hanami. "That's sad."

Fuyuhisa laughed. "Bullying? Don't make me laugh! We are just putting you to your place, you piece of junk who isn't even a real student of Tootsuki!" said the girl. "You only managed to get this far because you clings to Isshiki-sama like a leech. Why don't you just leave now and give us the job of Isshiki-sama's personal assistant? I am certain that we can do better than you did!" she added, followed by the laughter of the other girls.

Hanami could feel anger rising through her body, but she tried to stay calm. "You know... there is something I need to fix about your way of thinking," said Hanami. "I have known Satoshi-kun since we were 3 years old. I know what he likes and dislikes. And I can assure you all, if you all take over my position, Satoshi-kun will fire you all over your incompetence," she added. Those girls gritted their teeth. "Don't underestimate us!" one girl shouted. Hanami smiled. "I am just telling you the truth," she said. "And since you all doesn't believe me... I guess we can make an arrangement..." Hanami added. Fuyuhisa stared at the assistant. "And what do you mean by arrangement?" she asked. Hanami smiled.

"Shokugeki," said Hanami. "That is how everyone settle dispute in this school, right? I am not a proper student of this academy, but it is stated in the official document regarding my existence in the school that I am allowed to participate in Shokugeki," Hanami added. Fuyuhisa smirked. "What if I don't want to accept?" the green eyed girl asked. Hanami grinned. "That will be easier, but I don't want to tarnish Satoshi-kun's image by commiting murder. You have no other choice but to accept this challenge, Fuyuhisa," said the girl.

"Very well. What are we putting on line?" Fuyuhisa asked. Hanami thought a bit. "If I lose, you all will take over my position as Satoshi-kun's personal assistant. Wait, let me correct that. Personal assistants, if you may. And I will leave this academy. Also you all may keep the bracelet. However, if you lose..." Hanami trailed off. "... well, just return my bracelet and let me do my usual work. Also I will let you guys try being his assistant for a day just so you all know how does it feels to be his assistant." Fuyuhisa smiled. "Deal. For the theme... foreign beef dishes. It can be steak, stew, anything," said Fuyuhisa. Hanami smiled. "I am guessing that the theme is your forte?" the assistant asked. "Precisely," said Fuyuhisa. "The shokugeki will be held tomorrow after classes. I am waiting to see your defeated face!" Fuyuhisa added before leaving with the other girls. Hanami smiled and took her uniform from the locker.

"Geez, Satoshi-kun is going to scold me..."

*

The sun shines brightly upon the Polar Star dorm. All of the members, except for Isshiki who already left since he has to sign some documents before class started, are sitting around the dining table to enjoy their breakfast. They are glowing with happiness. Quoting Isshiki Satoshi: this is youth. And it seems like nothing would be able to affect their mood.

"Ah, guys. Do you have anything to do after school?" Hanami asked. Everyone shook their head. "Good. Then, please come to the shokugeki building after the classes ended, okay?" Hanami added. "Eh? It is rare to see Hanami-senpai being so interested in watching a shokugeki..." said Yukihira. Hanami gulped down her glass of milk and put the glass down.

"Nah, it's me competing in the shokugeki. Geez, I am going to be late for the class! See you after class, guys!" Hanami said before dashing out from the dorm. Everyone was silent for a second. "D-did she say... she is competing in the shokugeki...?" Tadokoro asked, her face pale. "I-I heard so... did Isshiki-senpai knew about this?" Yoshino asked too. Everyone grew silent again. They recalled how cheerful Isshiki was when he left the dorm this morning. There is no way he knew.

"SOMEONE GO TELL ISSHIKI-SENPAI!!" Sakaki screamed. Everyone left the dorm as fast as they could, leaving the dining hall in a mess. But they couldn't care less about Daimidou's scolding. All they could think about is how they should let Isshiki know and cancel the shokugeki. Afterall, no matter how forgiving Hanami's dishes are, her skill is still below Tootsuki students' skill. And that means there is no way she would win. They have no idea what Hanami is betting, but they doesn't care.

There is no way they would let Hanami get butchered in the shokugeki arena.

*

"Isshiki-senpai?" Nakiri Erina peeked at the 7th seat's office. Isshiki looked up from the document and smiled. "What can I help you with, Nakiri-kun?" he asked. Nakiri Erina held up a document and she looks a bit confused. "I assume senpai doesn't know about this document yet?" she asked. Isshiki stared at that document. Judging from the color of the folder used, it is a shokugeki document. Isshiki shook his head. "No, Nakiri-kun. Whose shokugeki is that?" he asked. For some reason, he had a bad feeling.

"Shokugeki between Fuyuhisa Misaki and Hanami Kirara... and apparently Hanami-senpai put her title as your personal assistant on stake," said Nakiri Erina. Isshiki froze for some seconds before he frantically searched for his phone.

That day, Nakiri Erina had the privilege to see Isshiki Satoshi losing his cool.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note : Special shoutout to everyone who left review, followed, and favorited. I don't think words can express my gratitude. I hope this story can continue to entertain you all!**

*

Isshiki Satoshi is well known by fellow students as someone who is able to stay calm in most situation. Even in the most heated discussion among current Elite Ten members, Isshiki always managed to keep his head cool and control the situation.

That is why Nakiri Erina was pretty shocked to see a frown on Isshiki Satoshi's face.

Isshiki's fingers tapped against the table. Phone against his ear, Isshiki sure looks like he will explode from anger any seconds now. Apparently the person picked up the call and Isshiki doesn't waste his time. "Hanami Kirara, you owe me an explanation," he said. Nakiri Erina swore on her God Tongue that she didn't mean to eavesdrop, it was just that Isshiki put the call volume setting on the highest so she ended up listening to the whole call.

"E-explanation? What are you talking about, Satoshi-kun?" Hanami asked. "YOU KNOW VERY WELL WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT, HANAMI KIRARA!!" Nakiri Erina covered her ears when Isshiki shouted, for once thankful that it was her palate that is delicate and not her hearing. "Why would you get yourself into a shokugeki..." Isshiki said, this time not as loud. But his emotion is borderline audible. There was a long pause before Hanami said "They stole my bracelet."

"Bracelet? The one from me?" Isshiki asked. "Exactly, Satoshi-kun... I cannot just let them walk away like that..." said Hanami. Isshiki gritted his teeth and said "If it was just a bracelet, then I will buy you a new one! Just... just don't go to the shokugeki, okay? I don't want to lose you..."

Nakiri Erina's heart sank to her stomach. Isshiki looks so desperate it is almost painful to watch. For a moment it was silence, until Hanami talked. "Satoshi-kun, I don't want to leave you too," she said. "So I promise you, I won't lose the shokugeki," she added. Isshiki let out a dry laugh. "Nothing I say will make you change your mind, huh?" Isshiki asked. Hanami doesn't answer, but Isshiki understands. "Don't you dare losing that match," said Isshiki. "Okay. I promise, Satoshi-kun. And you know I always do my best to keep my promise," said Hanami.

Isshiki ended the call and slumped on his chair. He stayed there for a bit before saying "I am sorry for making you witness this kind of mess, Nakiri-kun." Nakiri Erina doesn't know how to answer. "Are you okay, Isshiki-senpai?" the 10th seat asked. Isshiki stared at her. "I know I never really get emotional in front of people, but I really am not okay. I might need some time to calm myself..." said the male. Nakiri Erina nodded and left the 7th seat alone to calm himself.

Isshiki took deep breathes. He took the shokugeki document and opened it. The theme is foreign beef dishes. Isshiki thought for a bit before turning to the computer and opened the students data and report cards file. The data is not distributed freely, but Isshiki managed to get his hand on it for some reason. He checked the data of Fuyuhisa Misaki throughoutly and found out that the girl's parents own a restaurant and they are famous for their beef stroganoff. Her classes scores are good too. Isshiki sighed. That 1st year probably got some experiences under her belt.

He tried to remember Hanami's cooking. Hanami rarely cook because she was not allowed to cook in Isshiki house. And when it comes to cooking class, her score is 'pass-but-almost-fail' most of the time. Even though she managed to get into Polar Star dorm and the dishes she cooked in the dorm are quite good, it is still of lower quality compared to other Polar Star dorm members. To make things worse, Hanami rarely cooked beef. Isshiki really doesn't want to admit, but things are looking pretty bad. Isshiki sighed and closed his eyes. "God, if you hear me..." Isshiki whispered.

"... please show me a miracle and let her win."

*

You know a shokugeki is a huge deal when Kawashima Urara is the host.

"Welcome and thank you for waiting! The Shokugeki Administration Bureau has recognized this match as official shokugeki," said the MC. "Let me introduce the contestants; the first one to enter is the leader of Isshiki Fans Club, Fuyuhisa Misaki!!" a huge cheer errupted as the girl walked into the arena. "Why does the shokugeki become this big...?" Marui asked. "I didn't expect it, but it turned out that Isshiki Fans Club is... huge," said Sakaki. "The members mostly consisted of the middle schoolers and first years, but some are second years and third years" Sakaki added.

"Entering from the opposing side is the current personal assistant of Isshiki Satoshi-senpai, Hanami Kirara!" Kawashima introduced. The Polar Star members tried to cheer for Hanami, but their cheer drowned among the booing of the fans club. Yoshino looks around. "I do not see Isshiki-senpai, though. Is he not coming?" she asked. "Considering that most of the audiences are the fans club members, even if he comes he won't sit with us," said Ibusaki. They did went to the Elite Ten office to tell Isshiki, but Nakiri Erina stopped them and told them that Isshiki already know about the shokugeki and he needed some time alone.

Fuyuhisa smirked when she saw Hanami. "You look strangely calm for someone who is about to get defeated," said Fuyuhisa. Hanami smiled. "I don't see the point of panicking right now," she said, putting her cooking utensils on the countertop. "All I can do now is to do my best and pray."

"The theme is foreign beef dishes. Shokugeki, begin!" Kawashima announced. Both Fuyuhisa and Hanami started their preparation. Fuyuhisa took out some onions, mushrooms, sour cream, and fillet mignon. "Beef stroganoff, eh?" Hanami asked. Fuyuhisa laughed as she prepared her ingredients. "I guess you are not as stupid as I thought you are," said the green eyed girl. Hanami also laughed.

"What... what is Hanami-senpai making?" Tadokoro asked. All other Polar Star dorm members stared at her ingredients and tools. "The beef is a flap steak... that part is quite chewy..." said Yoshino. "There are also... duck eggs? And baby bean sprouts, lime, chili peppers, and... tiny brown plastic pieces? I cannot comprehend what is it she's making..." Yoshino added. "More importantly... what is that black paste and why is she using a pressure cooker?" Sakaki asked. Yukihira squinted at the black paste and finally said "That is the soup base Hanami-senpai made on Sunday..."

"Soup base? What was inside it?" Marui asked. "Let's see... it has candlenut, galangal, turmeric, and some other stuffs... and some black stuff name kero... keru..." Yukihira struggled to remember the name. "Kluwak?" Marui asked. "Yes, that!" said Yukihira. Marui thought for a bit before saying "I think I have a vague idea of what Hanami-senpai is making..." said Marui. "Really?! What is it?!" Yoshino asked.

"It might be rawon."

"Rawon? What is that?" Tadokoro asked. "Rawon is beef soup made with kluwak, and it is a native dish of Indonesia... I don't know much detail of it," said Marui. "But I can ensure you that like most of Indonesian beef dishes, it requires a long time over the stove," he added. They turned their attention back to the arena, and they saw both contestants multitasking. Hanami cooked the rice on the stove and started cooking the beef on another side of the stove. She put the cubed beef and water into the pressure cooker, throws in the soup base, put the lid on, and cooked it. While it is cooking, she blended chili peppers, shallots, a weird brown block, salt, and a bit water in the blender. She then stir fried the chili paste on the other stove while boiling the duck eggs.

"Aren't you pushing yourself too hard?" Fuyuhisa asked. "Do your best not to burn everything!" she laughed. Everyone in the audience laughed except for the Polar Star members. But surprisingly, Hanami doesn't respond. She just keep stirring the chili paste while looking at the glass wall of the supervisor's room. And from the room, Isshiki looks back at her. Neither of them said anything and Hanami returned her focus to her cooking, but maybe words are not needed this time.

Afterall, when Isshiki looked at the dishes, his worries disappeared into thin air.

*

"It is time for judging! Fuyuhisa Misaki, please present your dish!" said Kawashima. The green eyed girl went ahead and served her dish. As Isshiki predicted, it is beef stroganoff served over rice. The judges took a bite and their eyes widen.

"This is not just the usual beef stroganoff! This one is very rich and creamy. The beef is so tender, the onion's sweetness mixed nicely with the sour cream... and the texture when mixed with rice is heavenly!" said one of the judge. "I am impressed with the mushrooms. It compliments the flavor well!" said another judge. "Now I understand why her family's restaurant is well known for their beef stroganoff," said the third judge. Everyone cheered while the Polar Star members slumped. "There is no way Hanami-senpai could win, right? I mean, come on... even her final dish looks very weird..." said Satou. Yukihira stared at Fuyuhisa's dish. "There are possibilities. I mean, that girl's dish is..." Yukihira trailed off. Tadokoro was going to ask what Yukihira was going to say, but Kawashima Urara's voice took her attention back to the match.

"That's some good comments she got! Now, onto the second contestant. Hanami Kirara, please serve your dish!" Kawashima said. Hanami took deep breathes before she pushed her kitchen trolley and served each of the judges a bowl of rice and another bowl of raw bean sprouts. On the plates are half of a boiled duck egg, some sliced lime, and some strange things that look like huge chips. She also put some chili paste on a condiment plate.

"W-what is this? I see no beef..." said Kawashima. The audiences and Fuyuhisa laughed. "Maybe she already gave up!" said the green eyed girl. Hanami smiled and twisted open the pressure cooker's lid. As soon as she opened it, the judges froze.

An alluring scent of spices wafts in the air. Sure, it surprised them. But what made them even more surprised is the soup. The color is pitch black. "W-what is this?!" one of the judge asked. Hanami smiled.

"Dear honorable judges, I am going to explain to you all how to eat rawon properly," said Hanami. "First, check your bowl. Is the amount of rice you had is good enough?" Hanami asked. The judges nodded. "Now, please add the bean sprouts into the bowl of rice, as many or as little as you want."

The judges did so, and Hanami pours the piping hot black soup into the bowl. "Please tell me if you had enough soup to your liking," said the pink eyed girl. After distributing the beef soup to every judges, she sprinkled some fried shallots to each bowl. "Okay, now add some chili paste and squeeze in the lime, stir until incorporated, and you may start eating!" the girl said. She watched as the judges followed her instruction and started eating.

"H-huh?! What... what is this dish?!"

The audiences froze as they watch the judges wolfing down the dish. "I cannot believe this! She used flap steak, and yet the beef is so tender! It must be why she used the pressure cooker," said a judge. "The soup is very rich and yet refreshing... the rice is a bit on the dry side, so it doesn't get soggy when mixed with the soup!" said another judge. "The bean sprouts are perfectly cooked by the heat of the soup too!" the third judge added.

"Huh? Refreshing...? Judging from the scent and appearance, isn't Hanami-senpai's soup very rich?" Aoki asked. "While that's true, the chili paste and squeezed lime probably gave it a new dimension to the flavor and made it rich yet refreshing," said Marui. "And this probably gave Hanami-senpai an upper hand. Afterall, like most cream-based dishes... Beef stroganoff can be heavy. Especially when compared to soup," said Yukihira. "Now I really want to try that soup..." he added.

"Ah, wait! I will now continue with the second stage of the eating!" said Hanami. The judges turned their attention to her. "Take the egg and scoop the inside into the rawon. You may also eat the crackers along," Hanami explained. Again, the judges followed and continued eating.

"Oh my... the egg is not an ordinary duck egg, it is salted duck egg!" said the third judge. "Along with this chip's savoriness and cruchiness, everything melded together in a harmony... this dish is very rich, and yet I feel like I can eat this everyday!" the judge added. "The chili paste is really good too. But I am curious, what is that brown thing you blended with the chili?" another judge asked. Hanami smiled. "That is dried shrimp paste... or as Indonesians called it, terasi," she said. "The crackers is also made with some shrimp. It is called kerupuk udang," Hanami added. "The chili paste and fried shallots stimulates appetite while making the flavor even more complex, the lime keeps it refreshing and light despite the soup being rich, and the chips adds a contrasting texture without destroying the flavor."

"It's true... the previous dish is really good too, but near the end of the plate, I feel like it is a bit too heavy on the tongue," said a judge. "But, for a lean cut like the flap steak to produce this kind of soup... I didn't see you adding butter or oil..." said another judge. Hanami stirred the pot and scooped up a whitish lump from the pot. "I used some pieces of scrap meat with lots of fat attached to it. However, I do not serve this because it will be too heavy and greasy," said Hanami. "I used flap steak because it is lean and resulted in lighter taste on tongue compared to fattier cuts, and another reason why I choose flap steak is because when I cook something like fillet mignon in the pressure cooker, it will be way too tender when the cooking is finished," Hanami added. The judges nodded.

"Now, dear judges! Please vote for the winner!" Kawashima said. The judges pressed the button, and Isshiki smiled.

"With score of 3-0, Hanami Kirara won the shokugeki!" the MC announced. The Polar Star dorm members all cheered and ran into the stage. "H-Hanami-senpai..." Yoshino cried. Hanami laughed and hugged the girl. "See? I won!" said Hanami. Yukihira stood in front of Hanami and before he could say anything, Hanami already said "Go ahead and help yourself, I did make that much rawon because I was thinking of bringing the leftovers for you guys."

The Polar Star members rushed to grab a portion of the soup. Hanami laughed when she felt someone patted her back. She turned and smiled. "I kept my promise, Satoshi-kun," said Hanami. Isshiki held her hand. "I know," he said. "I guess God really does exist," Isshiki added. Hanami laughed and asked "Satoshi-kun, what are you doing?"

"Ssh, let me stay like this for a bit," said Isshiki who is now hugging his assistant. Hanami smiles and return Isshiki's hug. "I am not going anywhere," she whispered. Isshiki tightened his hug. "I know," he said. "I know and I am so glad."

"Are you sure they are not dating?" Aoki asked. "At this rate, I am questioning their claim that they cannot see each other as romantic interest," said Yoshino. "I can hear you, Yoshino-chan," Hanami said with a loud voice. Everyone laughed and Isshiki let go of his hug. He walks towards Fuyuhisa and held out his hand. "Kirara-chan won, so I am expecting you to keep your promise," said Isshiki. "Return her bracelet now."

Fuyuhisa is trembling with anger, but she doesn't have any choice. She handed the bracelet over to Isshiki in defeat. The male smiled and returned to Hanami's side and put the bracelet on her wrist. "May I ask something, Kirara-chan?" Isshiki asked. Hanami nodded. "Considering how they tried to get rid of you, why did you only tell them to return your bracelet and let you stay as my assistant? You can ask them to disband the club or leave the academy, right? And I don't understand why you want them to be my assistants for a day..." Isshiki asked, causing Hanami to laugh. "Geez, Satoshi-kun... I am not that cruel," said the girl.

"Beside, I think they have the right to idolize you. And I don't think I have to stop them unless they make you uncomfortable," Hanami added. Isshiki smiled. "Kirara-chan is so kind," he said. Hanami smiled. "By the way, does this means we will hold a party again tonight?" she asked. Marui almost fainted, but Hanami laughed and said "Nah, just kidding. Tomorrow is still Wednesday." She turned to Fuyuhisa. "By the way, Fuyuhisa-san, I will contact you later regarding the schedule for your 'assisting day'. See you later!" Hanami said. Fuyuhisa and the fans club members stomped out from the shokugeki building. The judges have left too.

"Okay, now that they left... I want to ask for everyone's help," said Hanami. "What is it, senpai?" Marui asked. "You know, for the 'assisting day thing'... I have an idea about that," said Hanami. Everyone listened as Hanami said some things. When she finished telling her idea, Ibusaki looks at her in the eye and said "You're crazy, senpai."

"Crazy genius," Sakaki fixed. "Count me in!" Yoshino shouted. Tadokoro nodded even though her face is all red. "We will help too!" said Aoki and Satou. "... I guess if it is not insane, it is not Polar Star dorm..." said Marui. Yukihira and Isshiki also voiced their agreement. "I really love you all. Now, back to Polar Star! We need to prepare!" Hanami shouted.

"Yes, senpai!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note : sorry this chapter took so long. I keep rewriting it but in the end I cannot make it a good chapter and just gave up...** **I am very sorry...**

*

Hanami stared at the girls in front of her. In the end, only six club members came to Polar Star dorm at the promised day. Hanami decided to invite them at Friday night and hold the 'assisting day' at Saturday. Of course Fuyuhisa is among the six people.

"Good morning, assistants! My name is Hanami Kirara, and I will be your supervisor," said the girl. "Your first job will start at 6:00 AM, which is to wake your master up. Any question?" Hanami added. Fuyuhisa raised her hand. "I understand we are personal assistant," said Fuyuhisa. "But does that really means we have to wear this?!"

Hanami blinks. "This is the weekend uniform," she said. Of course, that is a lie. That is just a part of the plan. Sure, Isshiki is a weird person who likes to walk around in naked apron or fundoshi, but that doesn't mean he requires his assistants to wear skimpy maid outfit on weekend. This is just a plan to shame every single girl who is brave enough to come for 'assisting day', idea by Sakaki Ryouko. "No other question? Okay, it is 5:58 AM. Let's get moving," said Hanami. They got out from the room 207. Usually Hanami slept in Isshiki's room, room 206. But for this occasion she decided to use her official room. Afterall, there is no way she would let Isshiki sleep with six fangirls. Quoting Ibusaki during the planning: "We are putting Isshiki-senpai's virginity on stake", which was continued with Satou's "I don't think Isshiki-senpai is a virgin".

"Okay, just get in and wake him up," said Hanami in front of Isshiki's room. The girls knocked the door before opening it. Hanami almost let out a sigh of relief when she saw Isshiki sleeping in his pajama. At least Isshiki remember the first point of the briefing: do not sleep naked at 'assisting day'. Hanami stood near the door, keeping an eye as those girls tried to wake Isshiki up. "Your time is five minutes," said Hanami. The girls tried to wake him up by calling him and shaking him a bit, but Isshiki only grunted and returns to sleep. Just as planned, Isshiki will pretend he is asleep until Hanami woke him up. Bless Isshiki for his idea.

"Are you sure you can wake him up under five minutes?" Fuyuhisa asked after their time is up. Hanami smiled. "Watch me," said Hanami. She sat on the bed and patted Isshiki's arm. "Satoshi-kun, wake up. It's Kirara," said Hanami. Isshiki sighed. "What time is it, Kirara-chan...?" the male asked. "6:04, Satoshi-kun. Wake up, the tomatoes are calling for you," said Hanami. Isshiki got up immediately while Hanami stared at the girls with 'which-part-of-it-is-hard' looks on her face. She took out her checklist and wrote 'failed' next to the first task. "Next in the schedule is helping with farm works. Satoshi-kun, you ready?" Hanami asked. "I am ready, Kirara-chan!" Isshiki answered. He already changed into a pair of shorts and t-shirt. Looks like he remembers the second point of the briefing too: do not wear fundoshi and naked apron either.

"W-wait. We are working on the field wearing this?!" Fuyuhisa asked, pointing at herself. Hanami almost bursted into a laughing fit, but she managed to stay calm as she tilted her head and asked "Is there anything wrong with this?"

"Too many things are wrong!" Fuyuhisa shouted. "This must be your plan to embarrass us!" the fans club leader added. Hanami sighed. As luck had it, Ibusaki passed by the room and Hanami doesn't waste the chance. "Ibusaki-kun!" Hanami called. The male stopped and turned to face Hanami. "What is it, senpai?" Ibusaki asked. "Do you feel that something is weird this weekend?" Hanami asked. Ibusaki blessed the fact that Hanami stopped him instead of Yuhikira the blunt. "Aside from the fact that Isshiki-senpai suddenly got six new assistants, nothing is weird," Ibusaki said with his usual expression.

"What about the clothes? Is it weird?" Hanami asked. Ibusaki faked a sigh. "Of course not," he said. "Why do you ask, senpai?" he asked to make things less suspicious.

"These girls thought this was just a plan to embarrass them," Hanami said. Ibusaki thought for a bit and finally talked to the girls. "This is a normal weekly occurence. If you cannot accept this, maybe you all should leave."

"Ibusaki-kun got a point," said Isshiki. "If you mind the uniform, I guess you all are not suitable to replace Kirara-chan," said Isshiki. The girls thought for a bit before giving up. "Fine," said Fuyuhisa. "Next is farm works, right? Let's finish this soon..." she added. Ibusaki watched as they left before sighing.

"They really are insane," said Ibusaki as he walked to Marui's room to join the others.

*

The Polar Star members spied the girls from Marui's room. Isshiki put Hanami's webcam facing the field so everyone can watch the girls through Hanami's laptop. "They sure looks weird..." said Marui. Sakaki laughed. "Which part of girls doing field work in french maid costume is not weird?" she asked. "Surprisingly, it suits Hanami-senpai though... she looks kinda cute," said Satou, causing Aoki to stare at him. "By the way, where is Yoshino?" Yukihira asked as he looks around. "She is outside, preparing the first surprise," said Ibusaki.

"The geese attack?" Tadokoro asked. "Nah, she said she had another idea last second," said Ibusaki. "I don't know what it is, but maybe we should just watch."

Meanwhile, the girls managed to finish the farm works. Hanami wrote in the checklist: 'managed, but complained too much'. "Not bad. Next in checklist is breakfast," said Hanami. "Finally we are going back to the dorm..." said one of the girls. "I really want to take a bath..." said another girl. Hanami looks at Isshiki who stares at her like they got a secret. And in a way, they do. According to the plan, Yoshino will release a group of angry geese when they reached the front side of the dorm.

However, she has to admit that she didn't expect this. When they reached the front side of the dorm, something charged at them from the forest. Both Isshiki and Hanami expected a groups of geese, but they found a deer galloping towards them instead.

"Is Yoshino insane?! It is an angry deer charging at them, right?!" Satou shouted. Everyone was speechless, but the scene they witnessed made them even more speechless.

The girls ran away as expected, but Hanami charged at the deer and caught its neck in her arm. "Satoshi-kun, I cannot calm it!" Hanami shouted after she struggled with the deer for a while. "Is it okay to kill this one?!" she asked. The deer stomped on the ground and shook its body, giving Hanami a hard time keeping her hold on the deer without hurting it.

Isshiki stared at the deer before saying "It's okay, we can cook it!" Upon hearing the permission, Hanami tightened her right arm hold on the deer's neck. She used the base of her left palm to hit the deer's head and...

Crack!

Everyone in Marui's room winced. "H-Hanami-senpai... s-s-she broke the deer's neck..." said Tadokoro before fainting. "Hey, Tadokoro!" Yukihira called as he caught Tadokoro's limping body. While everyone in the dorm fussed over the fainting Tadokoro, Yoshino ran towards the commotion she caused from the direction the deer came.

"Isshiki-senpai! Hanami-senpai! Are you both okay?" Yoshino asked. Tears pooled up in her eyes. "I am sorry, this one ran and I couldn't catch it..." said Yoshino and she cries. Isshiki smiled. "It is okay, Yoshino-kun," said the male. "I am the one who should be sorry, I killed your deer..." said Hanami, pointing at the dead deer. Both Isshiki and Hanami knew that Yoshino changed the plan without discussing first, but they let it slide. Afterall, her guilt is most likely genuine.

"It's okay, senpai. I was going to cook that for lunch too," said Yoshino. She then took the deer to the back of the dorm while still apologizing. Isshiki sighed. Yoshino created a dangerous situation, but he doesn't mind. Afterall, no one got hurt. He is pretty sure that Hanami too doesn't...

... are those four chinese phoenix on her back?

If Hanami can see dragon behind Isshiki whenever the male got angry, Isshiki can see chinese phoenix behind his assistant whenever she got pissed off. The most he ever seen was eight phoenix, but for Isshiki Satoshi three was pretty scary already. Which is why Isshiki only watched as Hanami turned to see the cowering girls.

"Fuyuhisa Misaki," Hanami called. "I told you, right? To be Isshiki Satoshi's personal assistant is not only to work as an assistant," she said. "Not only you have to help him with his works, you also have to acquire his trust... and you have to protect him. Throw away your own life if it is required in order to save him."

Hanami walked towards the girls who froze in fear. "And yet, when faced to this tiny threat... you all ran away and left him there," said Hanami. Isshiki saw another phoenix appearing behind her. Hanami bent over and smiled at them, but the girls got even more scared. "You all realized, right?" she asked and her smile grew wider.

"Your cowardice could kill Satoshi-kun."

"T-that's not our fault!" Fuyuhisa shouted. "We are not trained to protect Isshiki-sama!" she added, causing Hanami to laugh. "Training won't change the fact thay you're selfish enough to let your master got attacked by a deer. You need to have the mindset to protect your master first before yourself, Fuyuhisa-san. And none of you have that quality," said Hanami. "Go back to dorm and pack all your belongings. You are all fired."

Fuyuhisa was going to protest, but Isshiki already spoke. "I have to say, I agree with Kirara-chan. If you all want to be my assistants, then you all should follow the work ethic. But you complained too much and more than anything, I never trust any of you since the beginning," said Isshiki. "I took Kirara-chan as my personal assistant since we were three years old and I refused the attempts to replace her over the year. And suddenly you all want to replace her. Of course I dislike it," he added.

The girls gave up and walked into the dorm. Isshiki turned to Hanami and hugged her. "It's okay, Kirara-chan," he said, causing Hanami to burst into tears. Isshiki patted her and kissed the top of her head. "Kirara-chan is a good girl," said Isshiki. He watched as the phoenix disappeared when the girl returned his hug.

"I-I was scared that you might die..." Hanami sobbed. "It's okay, Kirara-chan... look, I am here and alive. So stop crying, please..." said Isshiki. Hanami tightened her hug on Isshiki, not realizing that people are watching them from Marui's room.

"You sure they _really_ are not dating?" Satou asked. No one answered him. Instead, Yukihira sighed. "Man, those girls got fired for real. And I already prepared some squids for them..." said Yukihira. "Feel you," said Ibusaki. According to the original plan, Yukihira were to provide breakfast of tentacle in sweetened condensed milk. Meanwhile Ibusaki would cause a small fire in dorm area. But now that the girls got fired, their plans got aborted.

"I can't believe that girl!"

... or not.

"I kinda want to follow them just to know what they are talking about," said Sakaki. Ibusaki double clicked an icon on Hanami's laptop and smirked. "No need to. Hanami-senpai left her bluetooth microphone in her room, so we can eavesdrop," said Ibusaki. He upped the speaker volume and everyone can hear a girl's voice.

"That Hanami is too much!"

"But leader, what can we do about it? Isshiki-sama really like her..." said another girl. The first girl laughed. "We can make him hate her then. Embarrass her so much that Isshiki-sama refused to keep her close," said the first girl. Yukihira and Ibusaki stared at each other. "Are we thinking the same thing?" Yukihira asked. Ibusaki smirked. "Most likely," he said. Yukihira dashed out from Marui's room with his lunchbox.

When the girls got out from Hanami's room, they saw Yukihira approaching them with a lunchbox in his hands. Fuyuhisa's angry face made Yukihira want to laugh, but he managed to hold it back. "Are you leaving already?" Yukihira asked. Fuyuhisa just frowned and Yukihira sighed. "I already made breakfast for you all, why don't you stay for breakfast?" the male asked. "We will!" said a girl. Yukihira smiled.

"Good! Here, open wide..."

And those girls learned the dark truth about Yukihira Souma and his strange combinations.

*

"What happened while we were gone?" Isshiki asked when they all gathered in the dining hall for breakfast. "They planned to do bad things to Hanami-senpai, so we stopped them," said Ibusaki. "By feeding them Yukihira's 'special breakfast', smeared natto on their face, and smoked them for a while. They are now in the barn, Satou and Aoki are watching over them," Sakaki explained. Isshiki nodded and smiled. "That's nice of you all," he said, as if they didn't broke a human right pact somewhere.

Tadokoro bites into her toast, her face still a bit pale. "At least it ended well..." said Yoshino. "You are still guilty of changing the plan without consulting, though," said Hanami. Isshiki laughed and patted Hanami's head. "Yoshino-kun meant well, Kirara-chan..." said Isshiki. Hanami pouted and sipped her coffee before asking "By the way, Satoshi-kun... it is almost time for that festival again, right? Are they holding one this year?"

"That festival?" Yukihira asked. "Ah, of course Yukihira has no idea about it. He just enrolled this year," said Sakaki. "It is called 'May End Ghost Festival', a festival held by middle schoolers for the high schoolers," said Yoshino. "Like halloween, but in May," Yoshino added.

"Truth is, it was a cosplay festival."

Yoshino pouts. "Ibusaki is no fun," she said. "But it is a correct definition. High schoolers may attend, as long as they wear wig-less cosplay of an anime, manga, fairy tale--or anything, really--and cook a dish from the story for the judges and visitors. You can do it alone or form a group. It is also a competition and the winners got a huge sum of money from the school," said Marui. "There are several categories of winners. Most accurate cosplay, scariest cosplay, cutest cosplay, most accurate food... and last year Isshiki-senpai and Hanami-senpai ended up creating a new category and won it," said Sakaki. Yukihira blinks. "Really? What did they cosplayed as?" the boy asked. Hanami took a photo from her wallet and showed it to Yukihira.

In the picture is Isshiki Satoshi in hakama, hanging from a tree while Hanami Kirara who wears seifuku tries to get him down by pulling his legs. Yukihira turned pale. "This... what did you two cosplayed as, senpai?!" he asked. "We cosplayed Itoshiki Nozomu and Fuura Kafuka from Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. Ah, that brings back memory... we had so much fun," said Isshiki.

"You two had so much fun that us the middle schoolers got so scared and Senzaemon-dono got involved," Ibusaki said dryly. And he was not wrong. Upon hearing that a male student was hanging from a tree with a girl pulling him down, Nakiri Senzaemon went to the event in order to stop them. Instead, when he saw Isshiki Satoshi hanging with a noose around his neck while screaming things like 'I am in despair! The society has left me in despair!' and Hanami Kirara pulling him down while smiling and shouting things like 'There is no way you want to end your life! You are just trying to grow taller so you can be a pro basketball player!', the Food's Demon King himself got so creeped out that he created a new contest category and announced them as the winner.

"That sounds really cool, but how did Isshiki-senpai survived?!" Yukihira asked. "The noose was fake. Satoshi-kun wore a brace and harness to hang him on the tree instead, so all is well," said Hanami. "I still cannot believe that you two managed to force the Director himself to create a new category..." Marui sighed. "What was the category?" Yukihira asked. Yoshino smiled bitterly. "The most fucked up cosplay..." said the girl. Yukihira was quiet for a bit as he examined the photo, and he finally said "You're right... this is definitely fucked up..."

"You know it really is fucked up when even Yukihira admits it is fucked up," said Sakaki. Isshiki laughed. "It was really fun, though. I wonder what should we do for this year?" the male asked. "Well, it depends... are we all going to join as one group or what?" said Hanami.

"I think Satou and Aoki already planned to form a group," said Marui. "Yoshino already recruited me, Ibusaki, and Marui in the group..." said Sakaki. Isshiki looks somewhat sad as he said "I see... so the only ones left are me, Kirara-chan, Souma-kun, and Tadokoro-chan..."

Hanami thought for a bit. "You know, I was thinking if Yukihira-kun and Tadokoro-chan should form a pair," said the girl. "Eh? But I don't know much about cosplay..." said Yukihira. "I do have an idea," said Hanami, to which Yoshino responded with "I can't wait to see Megumi and Yukihira being cute together..." while blushing at the imagination of possible romantic development. "What about the four of you? Already decided on what to do?" Hanami asked Yoshino. "I do have an idea, but maybe I will discuss with senpai to get more details," said Yoshino. Hanami smiled. "Okay, I will wait. If you need help with costume, I will give you the contact of my favorite tailor," said the girl.

"Kirara-chan really like anime and manga, so she is quite knowledgeable when it comes to this kind of thing," said Isshiki in response to Yukihira's shocked face. "I see..." said Yukihira. "But Hanami-senpai, what idea did you have for me and Tadokoro?" Yukihira asked. To be honest, Tadokoro is curious too and she hopes it is not a weird idea. Hanami smiles. "I will lend you the movie later," said the assistant. Isshiki sighed. "Hearing the word 'movie' made me relieved. I was kinda scared that Kirara-chan will make you two cosplay Emergence **[1]**..." said the male, causing Hanami to chokes while Yukihira and Tadokoro tilted their head. "Emergence?" they asked. Hanami glared at Isshiki as she said "I am not that indecent."

Isshiki laughed. "Well, why don't we return to Kirara-chan's room? I am curious as of what she is thinking..." said Isshiki. "I am curious too," said Yukihira. Hanami smiled. "Okay then, let's go to my room..." said the assistant.

*

 **Footnotes :**

 **[1] Emergence: a hentai manga made by ShindoL... and in my opinion it was quite fucked up.**

 **More author's note : I got sidetracked too much lately... got too many new story ideas, and scored, and internship, so I am very sorry beforehand because updates might be slow. Also I am not really good at communicating, but thank you very much for the faves and follows and reviews on this fic and other fics. It made me very happy.**

 **Also, while this story is on T rating so far, in future chapters it might turn to M. Not because there will be lemon between characters. This story is actually ship-free even though some parts of it are questionable. It's just, some part of the flashback(s) which will appear in the future might be triggering for some people. Please bear with the story and thank you for your attention!**


	7. Chapter 7 plus Omake and Bonus Content

**Author's note : welcome to chapter 7. I didn't expect this story to be able to reach this point... but really, thank you very much for the support in the form of reviews, favorites, and follows. I hope I am able to continue entertaining you all with this story!**

 **Also, I realize there might be a form of inconsistency in this story regarding how I refer to the characters. I still have no idea how to fix it, but for now it will be like this: the canon characters who shares last name (for example Nakiri Alice, Nakiri Erina, Nakiri Senzaemon, and all the other Nakiris) will be referred with their full name. The Aldinis will use the format of 'first name-last name' instead of 'last name-first name' and referred with full name because of the shared last name. However, since all other Isshikis in this fic are OCs, they will all be referred with their full name. In case of a scene where Isshiki Satoshi (the only canon Isshiki) is faced with other Isshikis, the only one referred simply as 'Isshiki' is Isshiki Satoshi. The other Isshiki (for example Isshiki Ayumi, Isshiki Tatsuya, and Isshiki Yurika) will be referred with their full name.**

 **I know that is confusing (I confused myself trying to explain). If there is any question, feel free to ask me via review or PM, I will do my best to answer. Suggestions are very welcomed too. Thank you very much for your attention.**

 **COPYRIGHT STATEMENT : I mentioned characters from other fandoms here, so here goes...**

 **Kinou Nani Tabeta (c) Yoshinaga Fumi**

 **Princess Tutu (c) Itoh Ikuko**

 **Super Dangan Ronpa 2 (c) Spike Chunsoft**

 **Corpse Party (c) Team GrisGris**

 **Fullmetal Alchemist (c) Arakawa Hiromu**

 **Umineko no Naku Koro ni (c) 07th Expansion**

 **I am not that sure about this part, please tell me if I got the copyrights wrong.**

*

Satou and Aoki sat together during the festival. Their blood boils as they fight the urges to punch each other. Curse Marui, they thought. When they returned to the dorm after releasing Fuyuhisa and other club members, they found out that the groups for May End Ghost Festival are already decided. They rushed to Hanami's room for enlightenment regarding what cosplay should they do, but until the day of the festival they cannot decide if that was the correct thing to do. They took Hanami's suggestion, which is a slice of life cooking manga called Kinou Nani Tabeta. It revolves around a lawyer and a hairdresser who live together and share meals. The manga got lots of food in it and the cosplay is easy, so there is nothing to complain, right?

... except that it is a BL manga.

While both of them admit that this BL manga is very tame, especially compared to some R18 doujin on the internet which Hanami kindly shown to them to explain that Kinou Nani Tabeta is indeed very tame, they are very conflicted. They are thankful that it was not that doujin where two basketball players went to eat burger and drink vanilla shake and suddenly do the do in the restaurant with people magically not seeing them (the regulation of this event is so hazy that you can probably cosplay a doujinshi), or that one BL movie where the ice cream drips on a young boy and the older male licked it (the regulation of this event is so hazy that you probably can cover a naked dude in whipped cream and it still counts as food), but BL is still BL. And the fact that some female students are fujoshi and they knew about the manga doesn't help at all.

"Are you two okay?"

Sakaki was the one who asked that. The group of Yoshino-Sakaki-Marui-Ibusaki decided to cosplay the anime Princess Tutu. Yoshino as Ahiru, Sakaki as Rue, Ibusaki as Mytho the prince, and Ibusaki as Fakir the knight. At first Yoshino said Ibusaki has more 'prince quality' compared to Marui, but then accepted Hanami's suggestion when the senpai argued that "Even though I can see Ibusaki as an elegant prince, I can't really see Marui as a sadistic knight with anger management issue and post trauma stress disorder" to which Ibusaki responded with "Do I look like a sadistic knight with anger management issue and post trauma stress disorder?". The answer was "Kinda", and thus Ibusaki got the role as the knight while he tries so hard not to show that he is somewhat pissed off.

"I guess. So far no bloodshed yet," said Satou. "Just some fujoshi shipping us over there," said Aoki as he points at a crowd of girls. Yoshino bursted into a laughing fit. "You two are really cute!" said the girl.

"This festival is very different from what I thought," said Yukihira. "I thought this is going to be us cosplaying while selling food, but it turned out that we only need to serve a dish for the judges and the middle schoolers took over our stand after that..." he added. "That is how it is. This festival is aimed to let high schoolers relax a bit while the middle schoolers learn to follow recipes and keep a stand," said Tadokoro. Yoshino swooned when she saw Tadokoro and Yukihira cosplaying as Nanami Chiaki and Hinata Hajime from the game Super Dangan Ronpa 2. Truth to be told, at first Hanami suggested them doing an Alice in Wonderland cosplay. But after they saw the detailed clothes designs, they decided to do something else. Isshiki suggested SDR2 and they agreed. Mainly because Hanami once cosplayed Nanami Chiaki and she still got the costume which is about Tadokoro's size. Yukihira himsef at first couldn't really decide if he wants to cosplay Komaeda Nagito or Hinata Hajime, but after Isshiki explained Komaeda's character, he decided to go as Hinata.

"By the way, where are Isshiki-senpai and Hanami-senpai?" Marui asked. They left the dorm earlier because the senpais told them to go ahead since their preparation is not done yet. That was an hour ago, though. Tadokoro and Yukihira left the dorm thirty minutes ago and even they already got their dish and cosplay judged. "When we left, they are still preparing..." said Tadokoro. "Ah there they a--hiiii?!?!"

Everyone turned to the direction Tadokoro pointed at and they turned pale. Even though this event is called Ghost Festival, almost no one cosplayed something scary. Even the ghoul cosplayers look handsome. But then again, Isshiki and Hanami aren't that normal.

Let's talk about their height. Hanami is surprisingly tiny compared to Isshiki. Despite the fact that the female doubles as a bodyguard, she looks really small and frail. And unless required to input height in centimeters, Hanami will declare her height in comparation to Isshiki's body part. For example, when she was four years old her height reached Isshiki's ear, but now at seventeen years old she is as tall as Isshiki's 4th intercostal space (which is the very polite way of saying that her height reached Isshiki's nipple since she couldn't bring herself to say "I am as tall as Satoshi-kun's nipple" in public). Isshiki himself is well built, so he could carry Hanami around easily. Which is why when people saw Isshiki cosplaying in a school uniform with the blazer slung on his shoulder while carrying Hanami who is wearing a blue dress, they are not surprised.

What surprised them is how realistic their cosplay is.

The blood that stained Isshiki's and Hanami's costume and skin looks real. The injury on Hanami's right eye looks very real. And most of all, the intestines pooled on Hanami's stomach looks disturbingly real. People turned pale. Some even felt the urge to throw up.

"Hello!" Isshiki greeted the Polar Star members who are totally shocked. The first one to recover was Ibusaki who said "You two are going to get the Director involved again this year..." to which Hanami laughed at. "This is nothing, Ibusaki-kun. My first suggestion of costume was even more disturbing than this. But Satoshi-kun refused the idea, so I changed it into this instead," said Hanami. "Who wouldn't refuse the idea of tentacle rape on a male? We should spare the innocence of the students," Isshiki said. "What are you two cosplaying as, anyway?" Sakaki asked.

"Mochida Yuka and Kizami Yuuya from Corpse Party," said Hanami. Isshiki sat down on a chair while still holding Hanami. "That's pretty bloody, but if it is just blood then it is not as fucked up as last year..." said Marui. Everyone glared at Marui as Isshiki said "Well then, I think we should just show the fucked up part since the director is going to come here anyway."

Everyone who watched froze as Isshiki's expression changed. He propped Hanami to sit on his lap while the girl turned pale and trembled, her breath hitched. It is as if she is in great pain. Isshiki smiled at the Polar Star members. "Everyone, this is my little sister," said Isshiki. "Come on, my precious little sister. Say something to them," Isshiki said. Tears pooled in Hanami's eyes. "It... hurts..." Hanami said, her voice no louder than a whisper. "I don't... want... to die..." she said again. Isshiki laughed. "This is what you get for disobeying your big brother. Now, will you apologize?" the male asked. Tears fell from Hanami's eyes as she whispered "You're... not my brother..."

Suddenly Isshiki cackled loudly. He grabbed the fake intestines, and Hanami screamed. The timing between Isshiki's grab and Hanami's scream was perfect--too perfect, actually. It sends shivers down the spines. "If only you'd be a good girl and listen to me... if only you didn't run away like a rabbit..." said Isshiki. "I don't need to do this, you know?" Isshiki added before licking a splatter of blood on Hanami's cheek. The girl convulsed a bit while gritting her teeth before finally went limp in Isshiki's arm. Isshiki patted her cheek. "Are you asleep now?" he asked, but Hanami didn't respond. The male smiled. "It's okay. Sleep well, my cute little sister... rest assured that no one will separate us ever again..." said Isshiki before he starts laughing maniacally.

"How was it?" Isshiki asked, his expression turned normal again. Hanami too has opened her eyes and stopped trembling. "That was fucked up," said Yukihira without hesistation. "E-even more fucked up than last year..." said Yoshino who already cried from fear. "I wish you two will spare me next year," said Nakiri Senzaemon who watched the acting since the beginning. Hanami laughed. "We cannot promise, Senzaemon-dono. Acting creepy is too much fun," said Hanami, causing the director to sigh. "I think no one is as creepy as you two this year," said Nakiri Senzaemon. Isshiki blinked. "Not even Nakiri-kun?" he asked.

The Food's Demon King sighed again. "I should have known that it was you two who suggested that to her. But no, she is not even close to your creepiness. Even though her dish was quite surprising," he said. Under Isshiki's suggestion, Nakiri Erina and Arato Hisako cosplayed characters from Umineko No Naku Koro Ni. Nakiri as Beatrice the Golden Witch and Arato as the genderbent version of Ronove (genderbend is allowed in this event). As of the dish they presented to the judge... Nakiri Senzaemon expected something normal when his granddaughter said that her dish was oven baked apple.

He didn't expect the very realistic head of a little girl in the middle of the plate, surrounded by the apple slices.

"I feel sorry for Senzaemon-dono," said Aoki. Satou agreed for once. "Are the students still being judged, sir?" Hanami asked. "You two are the last," said Nakiri Senzaemon, pointing at the judges who stood among the crowds while taking notes. "Really, I think my lifespan will shorten if I see another cosplay like you two today," he added, staring at Isshiki and Hanami. The 7th seat and his assistant laughed. "With no disrespect to you, we are going to create something even more fucked up next year," said Isshiki. "I am curious but at the same time I don't want to see it," said the elder before he left with the judges.

"YUKIHIRAAAA!!"

"Is that Takumi-san?" Hanami asked. Isshiki nodded. The older Aldini stomped towards Yukihira. "It took me so long to find you!" Takumi Aldini shouted. Apparently he and his little brother cosplayed Elric brothers from Fullmetal Alchemist, and they did a good job with it. "Hello, Takumi-san and Isami-san," said Hanami. "Ah, hello sen--"

"Wanna touch my guts?" Hanami teased the pale Takumi Aldini. Isami Aldini looked genuinely interested as he stared at the unsettlingly realistic intestines. "Is that real, senpai?" he asked. "Of course not. That is made of silicone," said Isshiki. The older Aldini sighed with relief. "You two really did well with the costume... where did you two get the armor?" Isshiki asked. And everyone understand why he asked. The armor is very well made and looks really accurate to the reference. The Aldinis kindly explain where they custom ordered their cosplay while Isshiki and Hanami told them where they ordered their costumes and properties (including the edible fake blood and fake intestines).

Suddenly a voice can be heard from the speakers placed all over the event area. "Good evening, everyone!" said Kawashima Urara. "I hope you all enjoy the party! Urara-chan here to announce the new contest category: Audience's Favorite Cosplay! Vote for your favorite cosplay through your phone by logging into the school app!" Kawashima added. Yukihira tilted his head. "Our school has its own official app...?"

"You really enrolled here without knowing anything..." Sakaki sighed. "Lend me your phone, Souma-kun. I will install it for you," said Isshiki. Yukihira handed his phone over to his senior, and after some minutes the phone is back in his hand. "Log in with your name, student number, and birthday. You can access a lot of things with the app, for example shokugeki schedules, your score in the classes, your shokugeki record, and many more," said Isami Aldini. Yukihira nodded. "It's pretty cool!" he said. "It is. It also has your schedule in it, and you can buy school magazines online," said Sakaki.

"Or you can use that money to buy Satoshi-kun's photobook instead," said Hanami which caused Isshiki to froze. "If it is Souma-kun, though, don't you think Nakiri-kun's photobook will be the better choice?" the 7th seat said after he collected himself. Yukihira was going to ask, but Tadokoro already said "The Elite Ten did photoshoots last February, each seat got one book."

"And Satoshi-kun's photobook was so popular that even I had trouble getting the printed version," Hanami sighed. "Senpai, you already got five copies for yourself," said Ibusaki. "Five printed edition and one e-book to be exact, but I planned on getting ten copies," said Hanami. "That is excessive, Kirara-chan. Afterall, don't you think that it's useless considering that you can see me in high definition everyday?" Isshiki asked. Hanami laughed. She was going to tease Isshiki by saying that he was so cute when wearing casual clothes and chef clothes, but Nakiri Erina passed by and took everyone's attention with her. Even Yukihira stopped to admire her.

"... good job, Satoshi-kun," Hanami said instead, referring to how Isshiki talked Nakiri Erina into doing cosplay. "... good job too, Kirara-chan," said Isshiki, referring to how Hanami suggested really good places to get the costume and hairdo done. Nakiri Erina's elegance is overflowing. Her hair is styled to mimic the character she is cosplaying as, and she doesn't look troubled by her heavy and intricate dress. "My vote goes for her," said Satou.

"Hanami-senpai!" Yoshino called, causing Hanami to jolt. "Let's go around and grab foods from the stalls!" Yoshino added. Hanami smiled. "Thanks for the offer, Yoshino-chan. But I cannot really leave Satoshi-kun alone..." said the assistant. Yoshino was about to protest and pout when Isshiki patted Hanami's head. "I don't mind. Go ahead and have some fun," said Isshiki. Hanami stared at him for a bit before finally saying "Promise me to stay safe."

Isshiki nodded and Hanami goes with the Polar Star girls to the stalls area. He watched at his assistant so intently that he doesn't realize that Ibusaki already sat down next to him.

"It is rare to see the cunning senpai making that kind of expression."

Isshiki chuckled upon hearing Ibusaki's remark. "I am not heartless," he said. "I want Kirara-chan to be happy," Isshiki added. Ibusaki nodded and for a while, there was just silence between them. Until Ibusaki broke it.

"I think she is happy being her usual self."

Isshiki turned to look at Ibusaki who remains expressionless as usual. A small smile formed on Isshiki's lips as he turned his gaze to the stalls area. Ibusaki got up and joined the other boys, leaving Isshiki alone on his chair. The 7th seat reminisced about the first time he found Hanami outside his house, about her pink eyes staring deep into his soul. And he sighed. He wished for her happiness, even if he has to sacrifice himself for her.

*

Hanami stood there near the toilet building. She leaned to a big tree while chewing on an oven baked apple. Tadokoro, Yoshino, and Sakaki told her they need to use the toilet, so Hanami waited for the girls outside.

Crack.

Hanami turned upon hearing the sound of branch snapping. Her face turned pale upon seeing the person who caused the noise. A male, taller than her. Dark blue eyes. Dark brown hair tied in a ponytail. He smiles at Hanami and said "Long time no see, Kirara."

Hanami gritted her teeth. "Is there something you need here? I thought you already got the heir status?" the girl asked and the male chuckled. "I did. But I still need to take you away from him..." he said. "Afterall, I intended to take everything from Satoshi."

Hanami forced a smile even though her knees felt weak. She knew she most likely won't win a fight against this man. "I told you, sir. I belong to Satoshi-kun and I promised him my loyalty," said Hanami. "I will never succumb to you," she added. The male laughed. "That's nice of you, Hanami Kirara. Well, I am here just to say hello," he said. Hanami maintained her smile. "I kindly remind you not to show yourself to Satoshi-kun, though. You know how scary girls are when they got angry, and you don't want to enrage me," said the assistant. She was bluffing, but it seems the male in front of her doesn't think of her as a threat. "I won't go see him. It's not the time for that yet," he said. "See you soon, Kirara."

"I don't think we shall meet again, Isshiki Masumi!" Hanami shouted as the male, the current heir of Isshiki clan, walked away. Seconds later, the girls got out from the toilet. "Phew, it was crowded inside! Let's go, senpai! We need to get the apple pies from Takumicchi's stall!" Yoshino said before grabbing Hanami's wrist and dragged her. Hanami smiled, but her mind wandered somewhere else. Mainly due to the fact that Isshiki Masumi, Isshiki Satoshi's cousin who is the current heir of the clan, is here in Tootsuki. And nothing good would come from that.

Especially for Isshiki Satoshi, the previous heir of Isshiki Clan.

*

Omake

"You have no right to comment about Hanami-senpai's ownership of multiple copies of your photobooks..." said Ibusaki as he stared at Isshiki who is reading one of ten copies he owned of 'Tootsuki School Magazine: Assistants Special!' which released last year and contained articles about assistants of some students in Tootsuki.

"Just keep quiet about it, Ibusaki-kun," said Isshiki as he returned to reading the article about Hanami.

*

Bonus Content

Not official student of Tootsuki, but this cutie is the personal assistant of Isshiki Satoshi! Her pink eyes and black hair captivated the heart of people, and her loyalty is on another level altogether!

Name: Hanami Kirara

Age: 16

Birthday: October 13th (actual birthday is unknown, this date is the date when she was taken into Isshiki household)

Height: Isshiki Satoshi's 4th intercostal space

Weight: 67% of Isshiki Satoshi's weight

3 Sizes: _We didn't managed to get this information, sorry!_

Blood type: A

Favorite color: Salmon pink

Hobby: Reading books and cooking

Cuisine Style: Cookings where most of the effort needed was to throw everything into a pot/oven, set a timer, and forget about the food until the timer rang.

Hanami Kirara's comment about Isshiki Satoshi: "Don't get deceived by his appearance, Satoshi-kun is a huge dork. A very cute one, though. And I will stay by his side forever. Because while he is a capable person, he is still a huge dork who won't survive without me. Okay, he can survive, but you know what I mean, right?"

Isshiki Satoshi's coment about Hanami Kirara: "A perfect assistant, albeit a bit rude and rough. I think of her as a best friend, though. And I don't plan on replacing her ever. Unless she wished for it. I still wish she would let loose a bit and have more fun on her own, though."

*

"Captivated people's heart? This article is shit," Hanami sighed when she read the article. Isshiki laughed and hugged his assistant. "But you captivated me. My heart, my body, everything," said Isshiki. Hanami untangled herself from Isshiki's hold and walked away while saying "Don't say that kind of thing easily, Satoshi-kun. People will misunderstand."

But really, she feels honored and loved. Her heart is filled with so much happiness that she is afraid that it will burst.

Damn you and your kindness, Isshiki Satoshi.


End file.
